Reducing Tooth Decay in Children - Dentists from Latvia, Canada and US Agree in Study

Dental therapy and oral health researchers from Latvia, Canada, and the US collaborated on a three-year long study to investigate the effects of MI Varnish which is a special coating made from a fluoride, calcium, and phosphate on caries and tooth decay prevention in 6-12-year-old children. The project was led by Jekaterina Gudkina, a paediatric dentist and Assistant Professor at the RSU Department of Conservative Dentistry and Oral Health, and the results have been published in the open-access scientific Dentistry Journal and reported to professionals by AEGIS Dental Network.

The authors of the article “The Effect of MI Varnish on Caries Increment and Dietary Habits among 6- and 12-Year-Old Children in Riga, Latvia: A 3-Year Randomized Controlled Trial” are Asst. Prof. Gudkina, Prof. Bennett T. Amaechi (University of Texas Health Science Center, USA), Stephen Abrams (Quantum Dental Technologies, Canada), RSU Professor Anda Brinkmane and Eva Petrošina, a statistician at the RSU Statistics Unit.

The researchers came up with the idea for a study while networking at several conferences organised by the European Organisation for Caries Research (ORCA). Since the end of 2015, researchers have proved the efficiency of the coating and concluded that due to the use of MI Varnish the prevalence of caries had over a three-year period decreased by 10.8% in six-year-olds, and by 8.6% in 12-year-olds. 

Previous studies carried out by Asst. Prof. Gudkina show that caries and dental damage in children in Latvia are matters of great concern caused by a lack of fluoride and by their dietary habits, such as high sugar consumption. Researchers also add that little attention has been paid to caries prevention at the national level. The quarterly application of the varnish that contains fluoride, calcium, and phosphate is a simple solution to prevent dental decay. Find the publication in the journal.

The clinical trial is entered in the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.