Abstract: PURPOSE: To compare fluoride varnish and fluoride foam's effectiveness of preventing first permanent molar caries, and discuss patients' acceptance of the 2 materials among pupil patients. METHODS: Six hundred pupils aged 6~8 years from 3 primary schools in Shanghai Yangpu District were randomly selected.The subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 200 students having 800 teeth in each. Two of these groups were experimental groups that receive fluoride varnish (Group A) and fluoride foam (Group B) respectively, and the third group (group C) was control group.Pupils in group A and group B received 2.26% Toro fluoride fluoride varnish, 1.23% fluoride foam was applied to the first molars. In the next 2 years, all pupils received dental health education every half year. The pupils' conditions of first permanent molar caries were checked in the sixth, twelfth, eighteenth and twenty-fourth month since the study started. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 10.0 software package. RESULTS: After 6 months, there was no significant difference between the 3 groups (P>0.05), the rate of caries incidence in the experimental group B was significantly higher than group A during the observation period after 12 months (P<0.05). Caries incidence in both group A and B was lower than the control group, with significant difference (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both duraphat fluoride varnish and fluoride foam prove to be effective in caries prevention. Moreover, considering other factors such as safety, convenience and cost, fluoride protector will be an even better choice in practical use.

Key words: Fluoride varnish, Fluoride foam, The first permanent molars, Anticaries