Prescription excessive fluoride toothpaste may also help sufferers successfully forestall and management caries whereas exterior of the observe setting. ¹ It is a easy, evidenced-based means for serving to sufferers keep away from extra caries onset or development.  

Prescription excessive fluoride toothpaste may also help forestall caries by inhibiting demineralisation and selling remineralisation. ²

Excessive fluoride toothpastes are available in two strengths – a 2800ppm sodium fluoride paste can be utilized by these over the age of 10, and a better power 5000ppm sodium fluoride which can be prescribed for these aged 16 years and over. ^{3, 4, 5, 6}

Prescription excessive fluoride toothpaste needs to be prescribed for sufferers with elevated threat (moderate-high chance) of growing dental caries. ¹ This helps sufferers to regulate their preliminary caries lesions. ^{7, 8}

One tube of excessive fluoride toothpaste lasts a affected person roughly one month, and dentists might prescribe as much as six months at a time, in-line with their subsequent recall appointment. These prescriptions will be time post-dated in order that sufferers choose their prescription up in batches fairly than multi functional go.

Extra details about the traits of excessive fluoride toothpaste will be discovered on the MHRA web site.

Figuring out moderate-high threat caries sufferers

There are numerous threat assessments out there to find out a affected person’s chance and severity of caries.

This is only one instance of caries threat evaluation: ⁹

Threat	Social historical past	Medical historical past	Dietary historical past	Use of fluoride	Plaque management	Saliva	Medical proof
Excessive caries threat	Socially disadvantaged. Excessive presence of caries in siblings. Low data of dental illness. Irregular attender. Prepared availability of snacks. Low dental aspirations.	Medically compromised. Bodily disabilities. Xerostomia. Lengthy-term medicines. Cariogenic medication.	Frequent sugar consumption.	Ingesting un-fluoridated water. No fluoride dietary supplements. Non-fluoride toothpaste.	Rare, ineffective cleansing. Poor handbook cleansing.	Low stream price. Low buffering capability Excessive S mutans and lactobacillus counts.	New lesions, untimely extractions, anterior caries or restorations, a number of restorations. No fissure sealants. Fastened equipment. Orthodontics. Partial dentures.
Average caries threat	People who don’t clearly match into excessive or low caries threat classes are thought-about to be at reasonable caries threat.
Low caries threat	Socially advantaged. Low caries in siblings. Dentally conscious. Common attender. Work doesn’t enable common snacks. Excessive dental aspirations.	No medical issues. No bodily issues. Regular saliva stream. No long-term medicine.	Rare sugar consumption.	Ingesting fluoridated water. Fluoride dietary supplements used. Fluoride toothpaste used.	Frequent, efficient cleansing. Good handbook cleansing.	Regular stream price. Excessive buffering capability Low S mutans and lactobacillus counts.	No new lesions. Nil extractions for caries. Sound anterior tooth. No or few restorations. Restorations inserted years in the past. Fissure-sealed. No equipment.

Sufferers at elevated caries threat sufferers aged ten years and over, these with caries current, orthodontic home equipment, a extremely cariogenic weight-reduction plan or medicine inflicting dry mouth, could possibly be prescribed a 2880ppm fluoride toothpaste. ¹

Sufferers aged 16 years and over with elevated caries threat, current or potential for root caries, dry mouth, orthodontic home equipment, overdentures, these with extremely cariogenic weight-reduction plan or medicine inflicting dry mouth, could possibly be prescribed a fluoride 5000ppm toothpaste. ¹

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Sources

1. Public Well being England (2017) ‘Delivering higher oral well being: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention’, Third Version, UK.
2. Baysan A, Lynch E, Ellwood R, Davies R, Petersson L, Borsboom P. Reversal of main root caries utilizing dentifrices containing 5,000 and 1,100 ppm fluoride. Caries Res. 2001 Jan-Feb;35(1):41-6. doi: 10.1159/000047429. PMID: 11125195.
3. Colgate (2020) ‘Colgate® Duraphat® 5000ppm Fluoride’, on-line at https://www.colgateprofessional.co.uk/merchandise/products-list/colgate-duraphat-5000-toothpaste, accessed October 2020.
4. Colgate-Palmolive (U.Ok.) Ltd (2020) ‘Abstract of Product Traits,’ Duraphat 2800ppm fluoride toothpaste. On-line at https://mhraproducts4853.blob.core.home windows.web/docs/c0e452136f37b21ae14dae330bc55c62b0e931fb
5. Colgate-Palmolive (U.Ok.) Ltd (2020) ‘Abstract of Product Traits’, Duraphat 5000ppm fluoride toothpaste. On-line at https://mhraproducts4853.blob.core.home windows.web/docs/993ca2d10345c940c4649fd8c98042f68fe00d51
6. Colgate-Palmolive (U.Ok.) Ltd (2014) ‘Duraphat® 5000ppm Fluoride Toothpaste’, Bundle Leaflet: Data for the person, on-line at https://mhraproducts4853.blob.core.home windows.web/docs/f7686217b083fc71959d19152bb6eab6ea5dad82.
7. Schirrmeister JF, Gebrande JP, Altenburger MJ, Mönting JS, Hellwig E. Impact of dentifrice containing 5000 ppm fluoride on non-cavitated fissure carious lesions in vivo after 2 weeks. Am J Dent. 2007 Aug;20(4):212-6. PMID: 17907481.
8. Biesbrock AR, Gerlach RW, Bollmer BW, Faller RV, Jacobs SA, Bartizek RD. Relative anti-caries efficacy of 1100, 1700, 2200, and 2800 ppm fluoride ion in a sodium fluoride dentifrice over 1 12 months. Group Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2001 Oct;29(5):382-9. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0528.2001.290508.x. PMID: 11553111.
9. FGDPUK (2016) ‘Medical Examination and Document-Maintaining: Good Follow Tips’, printed by School of Normal Dental Follow (UK), The Royal Faculty of Surgeons of England. United Kingdom.