Resumo

CURY, Jaime Aparecido; TENUTA, Livia Maria Andaló; RIBEIRO, Cecilia Claudia Costa  e  PAES LEME, Adriana Franco. The importance of fluoride dentifrices to the current dental caries prevalence in Brazil. Braz. Dent. J. [online]. 2004, vol.15, n.3, pp. 167-174. ISSN 0103-6440.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-64402004000300001.

Similar to that which occurred in most developed countries, dental caries have shown a significant decline in Brazil over the last two decades. Water fluoridation, expansion of preventive programs at schools, and especially, the widespread use of fluoride dentifrice are discussed as factors related to this reduction in caries. Data from epidemiological surveys and historical facts are presented to support the importance of fluoride dentifrices to the current caries prevalence in Brazil.

Palavras-chave : dental caries; dentifrice; fluoride; water fluoridation.