Methods: Patients aged 12 to 20 were recruited from offices of orthodontists who belonged to Northwest PRECEDENT, a practice-based research network. Patients had their orthodontic appliances removed less than 2 months from the time of enrollment, and had at least one WSL on their maxillary incisors. Photographs were taken at enrollment , after which subjects were randomized to one of three arms: 1) a single application of PreviDent fluoride varnish (FV), 2) 8 week regimen of MI Paste Plus (MI), or 3) no active agent (control). All patients received routine home care instructions and non-prescription fluoride toothpaste. Eight weeks after enrollment, the patients were recalled for follow-up photographs . Before-and-after pairs of photographs were assessed by a panel of 5 dental professionals and a panel of 5 lay people. The judges were asked to assess percent improvement of the WSL using a visual analog scale. Self-assessment of improvement was also obtained.
Results: Of the 102 subjects, 36 received FV, 30 received MI, and 36 received no active treatment. The mean improvements assessed by the professional panel were 28%, 21%, and 30% in the FV, MI, and control groups, respectively. Results from the lay panel were 32%, 30%, and 27%, respectively. These rates were not significantly different in either panel of judges. Self assessment of improvement was 38%, 37%, and 38%, respectively, indicating no significant difference among subjects in the three groups.
Conclusions: Our results do not demonstrate that PreviDent varnish or MI Paste Plus are more effective than normal home care over an 8 week period.