Fluoride Varnish Application

2. Fluoride Varnish Application Christine Veschusio March 2005 More Smiling Faces in an Oral Health Initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and managed by the Center for Health Care Strategies

3. Why do we recommend fluoride varnish for very young children? • To prevent dental caries and in some cases reverse early dental caries • Children with early childhood decay are more likely to get more decay • Baby teeth are in a child’s mouth until about age 11 or 12 • Goes beyond pain and infection • Affects their speech • Affects their ability to eat • Affects their ability to learn • Affects the way they feel about themselves

4. Who should receive fluoride varnish? • Children are at high risk for developing dental caries. • Risk is determined by using the Caries Risk Assessment developed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists

5. Risk factors for dental caries are: • One or more of the following risk factors place a child at risk for dental caries: • History of dental decay in mother, child and/or other family members • High sugar/complex carbohydrate diet (for example, bottle with formula, juice or sweetened liquid at night and/or all day long). • Visible plaque, white spots and/or decay • Low socioeconomic status • Special health care needs • Premature/Low birth weight • Medications: sugar-based or that dry mouth

6. Fluoride Varnish • Safe • Effective • Doesn’t take a lot of time

7. How does fluoride varnish work? • The lacquer-based product adheres to the dental enamel forming a depot from which fluoride is slowly released • A dry tooth surface allows the uptake of the fluoride into the tooth surface • Saliva actually sets the varnish

8. How does fluoride help remineralization? • Changes the reminerlization process • Acts as a catalyst • May stop or reverse progression of carious lesion • Can make enamel more resistant to acid

9. Fluoride varnish products • Fluoride varnish is available from 3 different manufacturers. It consists of 5% NaF. • Duraflor (Pharmascience) • Duraphat (Colgate) • Cavity Shield (Omnii) • Each medical provider contracted with the MSF project will be supplied with this product at no cost.

10. Preschool fluoride varnish study • 225 3-year-olds • Semiannual application of fluoride varnish • 44% caries reduction after two years

11. Advantages of fluoride varnish • easy to apply • teeth do not need professional prophylaxis • children can eat and drink following applications • potential ingestion of fluoride is low • prevents caries

12. Frequency of Applications • 2 TO 4 applications per year

13. Dental Health Screening and Fluoride Varnish Application • University of Minnesota by Dr. Amos Deinard • Click link below: http://meded1.ahc.umn.edu/fluoridevarnish/ • Click review of the “Fluoride Varnish Application Procedure” • Then click “view video” • The Video is for the North Carolina project “Out of the Mouths of Babes.”

14. Fluoride application video • Dr. Michael Kanellis

15. White Spots

16. Knee to Knee Position

17. Fluoride Varnish Application Clean and Dry Teeth

18. Apply Varnish with small brush

19. Fluoride Varnish Application Apply varnish to • Anterior teeth • Posterior teeth

20. Fluoride Varnish Application • The varnish hardens quickly after application as a yellow film • The child can have a drink of water

21. Post application instructions for parents • Varnish will set on contact with saliva. • Child can eat or drink right after application • Do not brush your child’s teeth tonight. Start brushing them tomorrow morning

22. Three Months Later Remineralized Enamel My Videos\fluoride varnish.ram

23. Establish the dental home • American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends age one or within 6 months of eruption of the first tooth.

24. Acknowledgement This power point was adapted from the work of Dr. Michael Kanellis, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Iowa.