A study by Biesbrock, et al, originally published in the American Journal of Dentistry, involving school children 9 to 12 years of age evaluated the effects of 2 concentrations of fluoride in dentifrice in terms of caries reduction. The children lived in an urban Guatemala setting with less than optimal fluoride in the water supply. Three groups were randomly allocated: group 1 used a placebo toothpaste, group 2 used a toothpaste containing 500 ppm fluoride, and group 3 used a toothpaste containing 1,450 ppm fluoride. All groups underwent supervised brushing twice per day during school days, and ad libitum at home, for 9 months. Examination for dental caries was conducted for all groups at 9 months and 21 months. The study found that both fluoride-containing dentifrices significantly reduced caries compared to the placebo dentifrice, but there was no significant difference between the 2 concentrations of fluoride. From this study it can be concluded that caries increments had no evidence of a dose response between a dentifrice containing 500-ppm fluoride and a dentifrice containing 1,450-ppm fluoride after a 9-month period of use in a population with high caries risk.
(Source: Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2004)
