Varnish is as effective as sealants says new study
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- Published: Monday, 17 April 2017 12:49
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Applying fluoride varnish to children’s teeth is just as effective at preventing tooth decay as the alternative method of sealing teeth and could save the NHS money, concludes a study led by Cardiff University. The ‘Seal or Varnish?’ study treated just over 800 children with either fissure sealants or fluoride varnish to discover which treatment is most effective and offers the best value for money for children aged 6-7 years.
In children who had the fluoride varnish treatment, 17.5% had decay in their molars that was bad enough to need a filling or for the tooth to be taken out after three years. In the sealant treated group, 19.6% of children had decay in their first molars. Over the three years there was a cost saving of £68.13 per child in the varnish group. Professor Ivor Chestnutt, from Cardiff University’s School of Dentistry, who led the study, said: “Our research has shown that the fluoride varnish does prevent tooth decay just as well as a more difficult and expensive treatment. Fluoride varnish is simple to apply and requires less complex intervention than that required for placing plastic sealants.
Dinah Channing, Community Dental Service manager at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said, “The results of this trial provides important evidence as to how we tackle the still unacceptable levels of tooth decay in disadvantaged children.”
The study was coordinated by the Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is published in the Journal of Dental Research.
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