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Despite the dramatic decline of caries incidence among children during the last decades, there are still individuals at risk, especially those who exhibit poor oral hygiene or unfavourable eating habits. These patients are in need of extra prophylactic measures. In this study, fluoride varnish was compared to professional tooth cleaning for remineralisation of white spot lesions using the quantitative lightinduced fluorescence method. Thirty patients, 13-15 years of age, with two white spot lesions each, were assigned to either of two groups. In the fluoride varnish group (31 lesions), the patients got professional tooth cleaning and were then treated with fluoride varnish (Fluorprotector®) at the beginning of the study, after 1 week, and then once every 6 weeks for 6 months. In the other group (26 lesions), professional tooth cleaning was carried out on the patients once every 6 weeks for 6 months. Similar oral hygiene instructions were given to the patients in both groups, and they all used fluoride dentifrice (0.145%) twice a day throughout the study. Enamel fluorescence was measured at the beginning of the study and at each visit. Two parameters were measured, the average fluorescence loss over the lesion and the lesion area. The results showed a significant decrease in average fluorescence loss (p = 0.013) and a significant decrease in lesion area (p = 0.014) in the fluoride varnish group. The corresponding changes in the professional tooth cleaning group were not statistically significant. It was concluded that in high-risk patients, repeated fluoride application had a favourable effect on the remineralisation of white spot lesions as measured after 6 months. Supported by the Swedish Patent Revenue Research Fund. |