SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Researchers in San Francisco say fluoride varnish helps prevent tooth decay in very young children.
The study by the UCSF School of Dentistry found that fluoride varnish, in conjunction with dental health counseling for parents, reduces the incidence of early childhood tooth decay.
The investigators examined cavity-free infants and young children under the age of 4, primarily from low-income Chinese or Hispanic families in San Francisco.
Children who did not receive any fluoride varnish were more than twice as likely to develop tooth decay as the children who were assigned to the annual fluoride varnish group. Children who did not receive fluoride varnish were nearly four times more likely to develop tooth decay than those assigned to receive it twice per year.
The study was published in the February issue of the Journal of Dental Research.
