Dental study Do fluoride mouthwashes improve caries protection in children?

Protection against tooth decay in children: regular mouth rinses with fluoride
According to a recent study, regular mouthwashes with fluoride improve caries protection in children and adolescents. The scientists assume that this improvement also applies when the teeth are brushed with fluoridated toothpaste.

Mouthwashes with fluoride
Regular brushing is considered the best way to prevent tooth decay, gingivitis and toothache. But effective oral hygiene means more than just brushing. According to experts, one should also clean the interdental spaces once a day, for example with dental floss or interdental brushes. According to a large overview study, caries protection is also improved by fluoride mouthwashes.

Brushing teeth is the best protection against tooth decay and gingivitis. Regular mouth rinses with fluoride also improve the protection against caries. (Image: Birgit Reitz-Hofmann / fotolia.com)

Fluoride contributes to caries protection
Although some people are concerned that toothpaste with too much fluoride can cause blemishes on the teeth, according to experts, this risk exists only with overuse. Also, the risk that one could get sick with fluoride in toothpaste, would only exist if the trace element is taken over a long period of time significantly overdosed. However, according to a statement from the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), the substance contributes to caries protection.

Less carious, filled or missing teeth
According to an analysis of 37 international studies involving more than 15,000 young participants up to the age of 16 by scientists from the Cochrane Collaboration, children and adolescents who daily flush their mouth with a fluoride-containing agent have 27 percent fewer carious, filled or missing teeth than peers do not do this regularly.

Cochrane researchers believe it is likely that improvement in caries protection will also apply if children and adolescents are already cleaning their teeth with fluoridated toothpaste or living in an area where fluoride is being added to drinking water.

Improve the validity of medical therapies
The Cochrane Collaboration, an international network of scientists and physicians, evaluates the available studies on medical therapies and thus improves their informative value. Dr. Andreas Meusch, director of the scientific institute of the TK for use and efficiency in the health service (WINEG) said in the communication: "Through the methodical working method of the network the results of different studies are systematically summarized. Such an overview study is significantly more meaningful than single studies. "(Ad)