Preliminary Reports on the Effect on Dental Caries of the Use of Sodium Fluoride in a Prophylactic Cleaning Mixture and in a Mouthwash

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Abstract
A 1% sodium fluoride-pumice-hydrogen peroxide mixture was applied in 3 dental prophylaxes to the teeth on one side of the mouths of 47 children in an orphanage, and a mixture without the NaF applied on the other side. Mirror and explorer mouth examinations for caries were made. Re-examinations were made after 1 yr., and 43% less new caries was found on the fluoride treated sides than on the others. A similar sudy on 95 children in another orphanage showed a 25% reduction in caries on the fluoride treated side. A group of 31 dental students used a 0.1% fluoride mouth-wash (pH 4.0) 3 times weekly for a yr. and 15 other students used a similar dentifrice without fluoride. Dental examinations including bite-wing x-rays showed no decrease in new caries in the fluoride group as compared with the controls.