Patient and Parental Perception of a New Fluoride Varnish

Joel Berg, DDS, MS; Christine A Riedy, PhD, MPH; Ashley Tercero, DDS

November 2006 Issue - Expires Friday, November 30th, 2007

Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare children’s and their parents’ acceptability of a new fluoride varnish that purports to have improved taste and color with a control varnish. Sixty patients, 4 to 17 years of age, attending recall appointments at the University of Washington Pediatric Dental Clinic, Seattle, Washington, were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 fluoride varnishes. After their appointments, patients and their parents were asked about the varnish’s taste and color. There were 32 patients 4 to 7 years of age and 28 patients 8 to 17 years of age. All 8- to 17-year-olds agreed that “white varnish” was preferable to “brown varnish.” Most of the 4- to 7-year-olds also agreed that white was better. The 4- to 7-year-olds did not like the taste of either varnish, but the 8- to 17-year-olds preferred the taste of white. All parents cared mostly about efficacy, but agreed that the white, better-tasting varnish was a positive improvement. Parents and their children agreed that though the white varnish is best, the taste was far from ideal for the younger children, based on its single bubble-gum flavor and the standard control fluoride varnish available.

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Disclosures:

The author reports no conflicts of interest associated with this work.

Queries for the author may be directed to justin.romano@broadcastmed.com.