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WTF! What the Fluoride

BDJ Student volume 30, pages 8–9 (2023)Cite this article

Dental caries is a common oral disease that affects individuals of all ages worldwide. Various preventative measures have been implemented to address this issue, including the use of fluoride. This article aims to explore the effectiveness of fluoride as a preventative measure for caries.

Dental caries is a bacterial disease that damages the structure of the tooth by demineralising the enamel hydroxyapatite in numerous steps.1 The prevalence of dental caries in five-year-olds in the UK is at 29% in 2019.2 The prevalence of dental caries in adults was last recorded in 2009 with 31% of all adults having at least one decayed or filled tooth.2 Due to the increasing prevalence of dental caries in the UK, it is a significant public health issue, that must be addressed by preventative measures.

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References

  1. Featherstone J D. The continuum of dental caries--evidence for a dynamic disease process. J Dent Res 2004; 83: C39-42.

  2. NHS Digital. Adult Dental Health Survey 2009. The Health and Social Care Information Centre. Available from: https://files.digital.nhs.uk/publicationimport/pub01xxx/pub01086/adul-dent-heal-surv-uk-2009-exec-summ-rep.pdf (accessed March 2023).

  3. Selwitz R H, Ismail A I, Pitts N B. Dental caries. The Lancet 2007; 369: 51-59.

  4. Marsh P D. Dental plaque as a biofilm and a microbial community - implications for treatment. J Oral Biosci 2015; 57: 185-191.

  5. ten Cate J M. Fluorides in caries prevention and control: empiricism or science. Caries Res 2004; 38: 254-257.

  6. Public Health England. National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England: oral health survey of five-year-old children 2019. 2020. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oral-health-survey-of-5-year-old-children-2019 (accessed March 2023).

  7. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Dental caries in children and young people: prevention and management. 2019. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng190 (accessed March 2023).

  8. Public Health England. Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention. 2021. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention (accessed March 2023).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth, United Kingdom

    Maryam Al-Dubooni

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  1. Maryam Al-Dubooni
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Al-Dubooni, M. WTF! What the Fluoride. BDJ Student 30, 8–9 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41406-023-0998-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41406-023-0998-7

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