J Korean Acad Oral Health.  2016 Mar;40(1):61-68. 10.11149/jkaoh.2016.40.1.61.

Caries-preventing effects of a suburban community water fluoridation program on permanent dentition after adjusting for the number of fissure-sealed teeth

• Jung JI
• Kim JE
• Kim SY
• Lee JH
• Kim JB
• Jeong SH

• KMID: 2190640
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11149/jkaoh.2016.40.1.61

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of suburban community water fluoridation programs on preventing caries in permanent teeth.
METHODS
In 2012, surveys were administered to children aged 8, 12, and 15 years residing in fluoridated Habcheon township area. Samples collected during the national survey in 2012 from children of the same age residing in non-fluoridated township areas were used as the control, and the caries prevalence data from this sample were used to estimate the caries preventive effect in the studied regions. This study included 457 subjects from the Habcheon township area and 1,792 in the control group. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using the IBM SPSS statistical package version 21.0. The caries preventive effect exerted by fluoride in the community water supply was determined by calculating the differences in the DMFT and DMFS indices between the study and control groups. The cofounders of the mean number of fissure-sealed teeth and surfaces were controlled to estimate the effectiveness of caries prevention.
RESULTS
The odds ratio of subjects with no dental caries in the fluoridated region was 0.75 compared to that in the control group. The mean DMFT scores or DMFS scores adjusted for the number of fissuresealed teeth or tooth surfaces were lower than those in the control group. The caries prevention fraction was estimated to be 23.4% based on the difference in the adjusted mean DMFT scores between the control and study groups.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that fluoridation of the community water in the suburban area was highly effective in preventing dental caries in permanent teeth, and therefore, this community water fluoridation program should be implemented in other regions in Korea.

Keyword

Dental caries; Fluoride; Permanent teeth; Prevention; Suburban area; Water fluoridation

MeSH Terms

Child
Dental Caries
Dentition, Permanent*
Fluoridation*
Fluorides
Humans
Korea
Odds Ratio
Prevalence
Tooth*
Water Supply
Water*
Fluorides
Water

Reference

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