Is it good for kindergarten children to apply fluoride to prevent caries?

For children who develop multiple dental caries early and are susceptible to caries, they can be treated with topical fluoride-containing materials at a professional dental clinic starting from about 3 years old to reduce the occurrence of dental caries.

Fluoride can enhance the anti-caries ability of teeth, and its effect has been recognized around the world. Nowadays, a variety of fluoride preparations have been widely used for dental caries prevention, such as: fluoride toothpaste, fluoride mouthwash, fluoride gel, fluoride foam, etc. The use of fluoride toothpaste and fluoride mouthwash is self-care; the use of fluoride gel and fluoride foam is professional care and needs to be used by a dentist in a professional dental clinic.

Commonly used materials for topical application of fluorine-containing materials include fluorine-containing paint, fluoride gel and fluorinated foam. Clinical experiments have proven that applying fluoride gel twice a year can reduce the occurrence of dental caries by 26.3%.

Many parents are worried that the use of fluoride will lead to adverse consequences such as fluorosis or dental fluorosis, but there is no need to worry too much. Because this treatment is performed by a doctor in a dental clinic, the dosage is well controlled, and the doctor will decide the time and frequency of fluoride application based on the caries situation in the child's mouth. Due to the high fluorine content in these materials, it is still necessary to reduce swallowing during use. The method recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists is to apply for 4 minutes, then spit out as much liquid as possible in the mouth within 1 minute, and refrain from eating or gargling for half an hour. There is no strict age limit for this treatment, and it is decided by the dentist based on the child’s oral condition. Most pediatric dentists believe that children around 3 years old can routinely apply fluoride twice a year to prevent dental caries. Generally speaking, the effect of fluoride on newly erupted teeth in preventing dental caries is better than that of other teeth.

In addition, when using fluoride toothpaste at home, please note that parents must supervise and provide guidance for children aged 6 and under because their swallowing function is not yet perfect. And when using fluoride toothpaste, the amount should be small, about the size of a soybean grain or 5mm in length. It is best to choose a children's toothpaste with a lower fluoride content.

Fluoride mouthwash should be used after consulting a doctor, and the amount recommended by the doctor should be strictly followed. Make sure you spit it out after gargling for 1 minute, and do not eat or gargle within half an hour. However, for safety reasons, fluoride mouthwash is not recommended for children under 5 years old.

Finally, parents should know that fluoride prevents dental caries, which does not mean that teeth will not suffer from dental caries after fluoride treatment. It only enhances the tooth's anti-caries ability to a certain extent. What can really prevent dental caries is "controlling diet and improving hygiene."