Use fluoride

• Drinking water

  Domestic water in Hong Kong has been fluoridated since 1961. This has led to a great decline in the incidence of tooth decay. Today in Hong Kong, the fluoride concentration in water is 0.5 ppm (parts per million). By drinking fluoridated water, the intake of fluoride is adequate to prevent tooth decay.

• Food

  Fluoride is found in tea leaves and certain seafoods.

Fluoride is added in most of our oral care products, such as toothpaste, mouthwash and dental floss. Researches have shown that daily toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste reduces the incidence of tooth decay by 20%. This has proved that fluoride toothpastes are very effective in preventing tooth decay.

• List of common oral care products with fluoride and directions of use

  Oral Care Products	Concentration of fluoride	Directions of use
  Adult Toothpaste	1,000 - 1,450ppm	Brush the teeth with a pea-sized blob of toothpaste in the morning and before bed at night every day.
  Children Toothpaste	500 - 1,000ppm
  Mouthwash	230ppm 0.05%NaF	Rinse for 1 minute daily.
  	900ppm 0.2% NaF	Rinse for 1 minute weekly.
  Dental Floss		Use once daily.

• Points to note when using fluoride-containing products

  Toothpaste

  Generally, a young child should use a pea-sized blob of children toothpaste which contains a lower concentration of fluoride. Ingestion of excessive amount of fluoride will lead to dental fluorosis with white patches found on the newly erupted permanent teeth.

  Mouthwash

  • For most people, there is no need to use fluoride mouthwash. However, for those who are prone to tooth decay, such as patients under orthodontic treatment or after radiotherapy, etc., they need to use mouthwash according to the instruction of the dentist.
  • Children under 6 years of age should not use fluoride mouthwash to avoid accidental ingestion.

These topical fluoride agents are in very high concentration. The application of topical fluoride on the tooth surfaces can prevent tooth decay or reduce tooth sensitivity. The dental care personnel usually choose a type of topical fluoride which is appropriate for the patient's oral health condition.

Types of professionally used topical fluoride

	Fluoride gel This type of topical fluoride contains 12,300ppm of fluoride. Dental care personnel will put the fluoride gel onto a pre-formed dental tray and insert it into the patient's mouth for 4 to 6 minutes to allow the fluoride to penetrate into the teeth.
	Fluoride varnish This type of topical fluoride contains 23,000ppm of fluoride. It is often used to treat tooth decay at its initial stage. The varnish is applied directly on the affected tooth surface(s).

Points to note after topical fluoride treatment

To allow topical fluoride to fully function, you should not brush your teeth or chew food for at least 4 hours after topical fluoride has been applied on to your teeth.