The American Dental Association's New Fluoride Guidelines

Professional Fluoride Treatments

If a little fluoride is able to prevent tooth decay, then more fluoride will prevent more tooth decay, right? That is the theory behind professional fluoride applications. It really works, too. People who get more professional fluoride treatments have less tooth decay. Ask our friends at MassHealth. The people who administer the Massachusetts version of Medicaid offer to pay dentists to apply fluoride to children's teeth far more frequently than the two times a year that most dental insurance companies offer. However, does anyone get enough fluoride just from their drinking water and toothpaste? According to the American Dental Association, some people do.

The August 2006 issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) contains the report of a meta study (a paper that reports and analyzes the results of several clinical studies) of the effectiveness of professional fluoride applications. JADA provides dentists a clear authority in matters of dental practice, procedures and treatments. JADA throws the full weight of its editorial conviction behind this paper and its recommendations.

The paper, "Professionally applied topical fluoride, Evidence-based clinical recommendations," is a product of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA). Per its mission statement, the CSA "..serves the public and the profession as the primary resource on the science of dentistry." How will the recommendations of this committee effect dental practices and your dental health?