The authority will be using this year to plan for a transition from using rinse to using varnish

The Nova Scotia Health Authority will not offer a fluoride program in schools this year as it transitions from one form of treatment to another.

The NSHA planned to use a fluoride mouth rinse for the last time this school year, however it couldn’t secure the formula due to a national shortage.

The authority will be using this year to plan for a transition from using rinse to using varnish.

NSHA Director Catherine Hebb tells NEWS 95.7, instead of 26 weekly mouth rinse treatments, students will only have to use the varnish twice per year.

“It’s like a paint brush, it gets painted on your teeth,” said Hebb. “It’s very quick, the kids will have their teeth painted and we’ll leave the varnish on and they’ll have their teeth protected for the coming months. It has very good outcomes.”

The school-based fluoride program has been operating for more than a decade, targeting the oral health of four to 12 year olds.

Last year it treated students in 129 public schools across Nova Scotia, based on populations that can benefit the most.

*Original article online at https://www.halifaxtoday.ca/local-news/no-fluoride-program-in-schools-this-year-due-to-shortage-1709942

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