Prior fluoridation in childhood affects dental caries and tooth wear in a South East Queensland population

Fluoride exposure in early life has an effect on dental caries experience, but does it affect tooth wear in later life? Ninety-six South East Queensland subjects were studied. Their histories revealed three groups; a fluoride (F-) in water supply, a F- by supplement, and a non-fluoridated (non F-) group. Significantly higher caries experience was found in the non-F- group compared with F- in water group and the F- supplement group. No statistically significant difference in caries experience was found between the F- in water and F- supplement groups. Overall, tooth wear affected more sextants of the dentitions of non-fluoridated, high-caries subjects than of fluoridated low-caries subjects. Comparisons of wear patterns on sextants of the dentitions, between the fluoridated and nonfluoridated groups, revealed that in sextants where attrition was present no marked differences were discernible between the two groups. However, in most sextants where incisal, palatal, occlusal or non-occlusal erosion was found, this type of wear was commoner in non-fluoridated subjects. The exceptions were the mandibular molar sextants, where prior fluoride-exposure did not appear to protect against occlusal erosion patterns. This study showed that fluoride exposure during the first 12 years of life, which reduced dental caries in this population, may also protect teeth from wear to some extent.