The effect of supervised oral hygiene on the gingiva of children.

Abstract

The effect of sodium fluoride on the gingiva of children was investigated by regularly applying sodium fluoride to the teeth and gingiva for three years in two different ways:1. In a dentifrice slurry during daily supervised toothbrushing. The concentration of sodium fluoride was approximately 0.05 %.II. As a mouth rinse with 10 ml of an 0.5 % aqueous solution of sodium fluoride once every second week.The study included two control groups. The first, supervised by a dental nurse, brushed their teeth daily, using a dentifrice free from the fluoride component. The second rinsed their mouths once every second week with distilled water.The total number of children was 471 : 236 in the experimental groups and 235 in the control groups. At the time of the clinical examination, all were 12 14 years of age.The gingival state and the oral hygiene were recorded with the indices proposed by Löe and Silness (1963). and Silness and Löe (1964).The investigation revealed that:Sodium fluoride applied by means of a dentifrice slurry did not affect the gingiva.Sodium fluoride in the concentration of 0.5 % in a mouth rinse proved detrimental to the gingiva.The GI of the “fluoride rinsing group” was 0.75, whereas that of the “distilled water rinsing group” was 0.61.These results are discussed in the light of current knowledge of the effect of fluorine in dental plaques and connective tissues.