School Fluoride Mouthrinse Program Susie Beem Dental health program coordinator South Central District Health

What is the fluoride mouthrinse program? Program offered each year in Idaho schools that can help children have healthy teeth for a lifetime. Students in grades 1-6 participate in the mouthrinse program once a week. Children who participate in the program may have 30-40% fewer cavities. Mouthrinse is perfectly safe and not harmful if swallowed.

How does my school join the mouthrinse program? Fluoride must be low in community water systems. School must have over 30% of students on the free or reduced lunch program. Dental health surveys called DMFs must be conducted on the 2 nd and 3 rd graders. Burley schools qualify in terms of low fluoride in the community water and percentage of students on the free or reduced lunch program.

What are DMFs? Decayed, Missing, Filled surveys A registered dental hygienist conducts these surveys. Used as a baseline and then conducted every 5 years to maintain eligibility in the mouthrinse program. Quick, painless survey. Parents get a copy of results.

Actual process of the weekly mouthrinse program Students receive a cup of mouthrinse along with a napkin. Students remove lid and pour mouthrinse into their mouths and swish for a minute. Students spit mouthrinse back into cup, wipe their mouths with the napkin, and put the napkin in the cup to absorb the solution. Cups and napkins are thrown away. Instructions are repeated every time by supervising adult.

Miscellaneous facts Dental hygienist will train the adult supervisors before program starts (next school year). Best days to do mouthrinse is Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday due to better attendance. Process takes about 5 minutes a week. Mouthrinse is provided by the State free of charge to the schools. More than 40,000 Idaho students participate in this program each year.

Questions? Susie Beem , ext. 246

Fuoride Varnish What? Why? When? How? Jen Kirkham BS, RDH

What is Fluoride Varnish and Why? Sodium Fluoride liquid in a gelatinous form Application with a brush Slow Release 5-10% of children under 5 have ECC Children in families w/o Dental insurance are 3x more likely to have unmet dental needs than insured children

Causes of ECC Prolonged exposure of sugars enhancing cariogenic bacteria to act on the teeth Characteristic: Generalized rampant decay frequently along the gingival margin Also called baby bottle tooth decay

Prevention is the key Frequent fluoride application Only H2O in bottle when putting to bed (sugar free) Oral Assessment ages 1-2 and every 6 months thereafter

Effects of Fluoride Varnish Reduce cavities by 50-70% Provides oral health screenings for children OHI Education to the parents Early exposure to a dental setting Adequate referrals Early positive influence for future oral hygiene habits

Post-op instructions After application, teeth will have a temporary yellow film (varnish) Eat & drink, but no brushing until the following morning Nothing hot to drink or extremely hard to eat. (chips, crackers, etc.) Recall at 3 or 6 month depending on each individual case