Professionally applied topical fluoride and restorative care in insured children

Objectives: This study evaluates the association between use of professiona lly applied topical fluoride and use of interproximal restorations in prima ry and permanent teeth of children. Methods: Insurance claims from 15,190 c hildren, for treatment provided by 1,556 different dentists, were analyzed to look for associations between frequency of use of professionally applied topical fluoride and use of interproximal restorations. The average follow -up period for the children included in the analysis was 5.3 years, with th e range from 3.0 to 7.9 years. Results: Both tabular and regression results failed to demonstrate an association between frequency of use of professio nally applied topical fluoride and use of interproximal restorations in eit her the primary or permanent dentition. The most powerful predictor of rest orative care for these children was the overall propensity of the dentist t o place restorations in children. Conclusions: In this group of insured chi ldren, we were unable to find an association between the frequency of use o f professionally applied topical fluoride and restorative care. Further, de spite numerous recommendations that professionally applied topical fluoride s should be used only in moderate- and high-caries children, approximately two-thirds of these children received topical fluoride at every recall visi t, nearly two times per year.