2009 Press Releases
International ‘best practice’ to guide public dental service
21.01.2009
New guidelines on the use of topical fluorides for the prevention of tooth decay in Irish children and adolescents were launched in December 2008.
21.01.2009
New guidelines on the use of topical fluorides for the prevention of tooth decay in Irish children and adolescents were launched in December 2008.
The aim of the guidelines is to maximise the benefits to Irish children under the age of 16 years from the use of topical fluorides, which include fluoride-containing toothpaste mouth rinses and professionally applied fluorides which include fluoride products such as varnish and gel.
Topical fluorides are applied to the surface of teeth for a local protective effect and are not intended for ingestion.
The launch of the new guidelines on the use of topical fluorides marks the introduction of the first evidence-based principles for the HSE public dental service.
Although the guidelines were developed for the public dental service, lead researcher Carmel Parnell points out that they will also be of interest to general dental practitioners and their dental teams and to parents of children using the public service. The guidelines were developed by a collaborative group involving the Oral Health Services Research Centre in UCC, the HSE and the Cochrane Centre in Oxford. The initiative was funded by a strategic research and development award from the Health Research Board.
The guidelines were developed in response to a consultancy report on the use of fluorides in the promotion of oral health in the Republic of Ireland. Ms Parnell, a senior HSE dental surgeon, said that the report found variation across the country in the practices and policies for caries-prevention programmes involving fluorides, and identified a lack of guidance within the public dental service on the best use of professionally applied topical fluorides.
The guidelines will be implemented this year but according to Ms Parnell it will be probably a number of years before their impact will be seen. She stressed that the use of topical fluoride was just one aspect of the prevention of tooth decay.
Picture shows: Researchers Patrice James and Carmel Parnell, patient, Sophie Whelton and Professor Helen Whelton, UCC.
RMcD957
Topical fluorides are applied to the surface of teeth for a local protective effect and are not intended for ingestion.
The launch of the new guidelines on the use of topical fluorides marks the introduction of the first evidence-based principles for the HSE public dental service.
Although the guidelines were developed for the public dental service, lead researcher Carmel Parnell points out that they will also be of interest to general dental practitioners and their dental teams and to parents of children using the public service. The guidelines were developed by a collaborative group involving the Oral Health Services Research Centre in UCC, the HSE and the Cochrane Centre in Oxford. The initiative was funded by a strategic research and development award from the Health Research Board.
The guidelines were developed in response to a consultancy report on the use of fluorides in the promotion of oral health in the Republic of Ireland. Ms Parnell, a senior HSE dental surgeon, said that the report found variation across the country in the practices and policies for caries-prevention programmes involving fluorides, and identified a lack of guidance within the public dental service on the best use of professionally applied topical fluorides.
The guidelines will be implemented this year but according to Ms Parnell it will be probably a number of years before their impact will be seen. She stressed that the use of topical fluoride was just one aspect of the prevention of tooth decay.
Picture shows: Researchers Patrice James and Carmel Parnell, patient, Sophie Whelton and Professor Helen Whelton, UCC.
RMcD957