Supporting paediatric patients with their oral health is sometimes a challenge. Alongside the patient, clinicians need parents and guardians onside to consent to treatment and ensure regular oral hygiene routines are carried out.
Tooth decay and oral sensitivity are recognised issues in the paediatric and adolescent populations. In 2023,[i] 16.2% of year 6 schoolchildren in England (average age 11.1 years) had experienced dental decay in the permanent dentition. On average, every child had decay in 1.8 teeth. Considering the permanent dentition typically begins to erupt around age 6 or 7,[ii] and should last a lifetime, this is a sign that support for the symptoms of decay is required. Without it, we see a large proportion of adolescents struggling with toothache and hypersensitivity.[iii]
Topical fluoride treatments are highly recommended for the treatment of hypersensitivity, especially for young patients.[iv] It is safe for most individuals, and simple for dental professionals to apply.iv Use of topical fluoride application must first overcome some common hurdles, however, to ensure young patients get the care they need.
Popular perception
The use of fluoride is a controversial topic amongst some circles. Water companies have been reluctant to fluoridate water supplies, and social media misinformation can fuel scepticism amongst patients.[v] This can increase refusal for topical fluoride treatments, putting the paediatric patient’s oral health at risk. The literature has made connections between topical fluoride hesitancy to phenomena such as scepticism for childhood vaccines and the COVID-19 vaccines.[vi]
Communicating the efficacy of fluoride treatments to parents and guardians, and why they are suitable for their child, is key. It’s important that both the paediatric patient and their guardian can understand the treatment to a level that is appropriate, with informed consent before beginning treatment.[vii]
If parents do hesitate or refuse fluoride treatment for their child, it’s imperative that clinicians can engage with this safely. The available literature[viii] has laid out approaches to such cases. If a parent is hesitant, it is better to begin a discussion around their understanding of fluoride use rather than simply stating the benefits of the mineral; the former puts an emphasis on listening and building trust.viii
It may be effective to first explain the need to reduce problems such as hypersensitivity, before mentioning fluoride treatment. An explanation tailored to the child’s current needs may also help parents understand the importance and relevance of topical fluoride application.viii
If patients continue to refuse fluoride-use, clinicians must provide alternative advice, including amendments to a high-sugar and high-acid diet. Open communication is paramount, as parents may yet change their mind in later appointments.
Opinion in the chair
Dental professionals must remember the influence that the paediatric patients themselves have on the process. To provide consent themself, they need to be ‘Gillick competent’,[ix] where one understands the treatment, its alternatives and consequences; is able to retain that information; is able to use that information in the decision-making process; and is able to communicate their decision.
For many young children, their consent is not necessarily needed for treatment permissions, but rather to minimise any worries in the appointment. Parent and child dental anxiety, influenced by fears of separation and anticipatory worries, can distort the child’s understanding of care, and make fluoride varnish application as terrifying as a tooth extraction, even though they are worlds apart in invasiveness.[x] This anxiety should be recognised, and both parent and clinician can establish a calm approach, which the child may then adopt.
Children who have previously had topical fluoride treatments may express concern over the taste or tactile feel of the paste, which can fuel apprehension. Clinicians should look for alternatives that may be better received, with improved taste and in-mouth feel.
Fast forward
Keeping paediatric appointments quick and pleasant for the patient is ideal. A fast-acting solution minimises chair time for the patient – children are not always the best at sitting still – as well as time spent away from school, for example. This also helps parents and guardians who may be more inclined to access a fluoride treatment appointment if it is convenient to their working hours, and without significant disruption to the child’s education or hobbies.
With all of this in mind, the clinician’s fluoride solution of choice has a significant impact on the appointment. The fast-acting 3M™ Clinpro™ Clear Fluoride Treatment from Solventum, formerly 3M Health Care, is designed for effective uptake in minimal time. In just 15 minutes, patients have immediate access to fluoride ions, which are quickly transferred through the rosin-free, water-based formula, made up of 2.1% sodium fluoride. With a slick and pleasant mouth-feel, the 3M™ Clinpro™ Clear Fluoride is available in Flavourless, Mint and Watermelon options for improved treatment acceptance, and a comfortable experience.
Working with both parent and child is key to delivering effective fluoride care for paediatric patients. By focusing on clear, thoughtful communication, and choosing effective treatment solutions for improved appointment experiences, young patients can battle problems such as dental hypersensitivity with ease.
To learn more about Solventum, please visit https://www.solventum.com/en-gb/home/oral-care/
For more updates on trends, information and events follow us on Instagram at @solventumdentalUK and @solventumorthodonticsemea
©Solventum 2024. Solventum, the S logo and Clinpro are trademarks of Solventum and its affiliates. 3M is a trademark of 3M company.
About Solventum
Solventum, enabling better, smarter, safer healthcare to improve lives. As a new company with a long legacy of creating breakthrough solutions for our customers’ toughest challenges, we pioneer game-changing innovations at the intersection of health, material and data science that change patients’ lives for the better while enabling healthcare professionals to perform at their best. Because people, and their wellbeing, are at the heart of every scientific advancement we pursue. We partner closely with the brightest minds in healthcare to ensure that every solution we create melds the latest technology with compassion and empathy. Because at Solventum, we never stop solving for you.
[i] Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, (2024). Detailed findings of year 6 oral health survey. (Online) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oral-health-survey-of-children-in-year-6-2023-detailed-report/detailed-findings-of-year-6-oral-health-survey [Accessed June 2025]
[ii] Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, (N.D.). Looking after your teeth. (Online) Available at: https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/patients-and-parents/looking-after-your-teeth/
[iii] NHS, (2022). Tooth decay. (Online) Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tooth-decay/ [Accessed June 2025]
[iv] Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, NHS Improvement, (2021). Chapter 9: Fluoride. (Online) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention/chapter-9-fluoride [Accessed June 2025]
[v] Lowery, G., Bunn, S., (2021). Water fluoridation and dental health. UK Parliament, (Online) Available at: https://post.parliament.uk/water-fluoridation-and-dental-health/ [Accessed June 2025]
[vi] Chi, D. L., Kerr, D., Patiño Nguyen, D., Shands, M. E., Cruz, S., Edwards, T., … & Lewis, F. (2023). A conceptual model on caregivers’ hesitancy of topical fluoride for their children. PloS one, 18(3), e0282834.
[vii] General Dental Council, (2019). Standards for the Dental Team. (Online) Available at: https://www.gdc-uk.org/standards-guidance/standards-and-guidance/standards-for-the-dental-team [Accessed June 2025]
[viii] Chi, D. L. (2017). Parent refusal of topical fluoride for their children: clinical strategies and future research priorities to improve evidence-based pediatric dental practice. Dental Clinics, 61(3), 607-617.
[ix] NHS, (2022). Children and young people, Consent to treatment. (Online) Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/consent-to-treatment/children/ [Accessed
[x] Yuan, S., Humphris, G., MacPherson, L. M., Ross, A. L., & Freeman, R. (2021). Communicating with parents and preschool children: A qualitative exploration of dental professional-parent-child interactions during paediatric dental consultations to prevent early childhood caries. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 669395.
