Is your office prescribing fluorides?

Despite being entirely preventable, dental caries remains one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in the United States. At present, 9 in 10 American adults experience root caries to some extent, and 13.2% of children and adolescents (aged 5-19) are estimated to be living with untreated caries. For these patients and those at risk of developing dental caries, we discuss the role of prescription-level fluorides and why you should be offering them to your patients.

Evidence-based recommendations for prescription-level topical fluorides

There is a wealth of evidence supporting the efficacy of topical fluorides for the prevention, arrest and reversal of dental caries. Clinical recommendations published by the American Dental Association (ADA) on topical fluorides for caries prevention include home use of 1.1% sodium fluoride (5000 ppm fluoride) gel or paste.

Also, in the ADA evidence-based clinical practice guideline on the nonrestorative treatment of carious lesions, home use of 1.1% sodium fluoride is prioritized over the use of other fluorides to arrest or reverse noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions on root surfaces in the permanent dentition.

Prescription-level products and recommendations for at-risk patients

As a dental hygienist, you can recommend prescription-level fluorides to help to prevent, arrest or reverse dental caries in your at-risk patients. Colgate PreviDent 5000 Booster Plus is a prescription-only, home-use 5000 ppm toothpaste that enables faster and greater uptake of fluoride. It is recommended for daily use in at-risk patients at least 6 years-of-age to help prevent and control dental caries, and shown to arrest and reverse incipient lesions, including white spot lesions. Colgate PreviDent 5000 Booster Plus offers superior remineralization after 10 days and unsurpassed remineralization after 20 days. Use of 5000 ppm pastes and gels is generally not recommended for children under age 6 due to the risk of fluorosis with long-term ingestion.

Making compliance easier

Let’s say Colgate PreviDent 5000 Booster Plus has been prescribed for your patient to use at home for caries prevention. Unfortunately, not every patient will fill the prescription, and those that do may receive a generic alternative. The easiest way to prevent this is to dispense the prescribed product directly from your office. It saves your patients time and effort and helps to ensure they’ll get the benefit of the product recommended and prescribed for them. Further, it brings revenue into your office and allows you to benefit from discounts.

If it isn't possible to dispense from your office, you can still take action to help ensure the prescription is filled as intended. If your state allows, free pre-filled prescription pads can be obtained by visiting www.colgateprevident5000.com for easy use. This webpage will also provide you with information on prescriptions requirements for the state you work in.

Prescriptions can also be written using the following general steps:

• Write the NDC code and the complete variant name.

• Write the required number of refills, making refilling and continued compliance easy.

• Mark “dispense as written” (DAW), “brand necessary,” or your state-mandated equivalent.

If EScripts is being used for prescribing, the following steps are taken:

• Search for “PreviDent” and set it as the preferred prescription-level fluoride paste or gel.

• Check the “no generics allowed” box or its equivalent.

With these simple steps, you can make caries prevention and management an easier experience for your patients at increased risk for caries.