One Varnish Vial, How Many Children: The Dose per Child That Covers the Teeth Without Emptying the Vial Early

Fluoride varnish in school programmes is usually dispensed as one unit-dose vial per child, so the package sets the dose. This study models a 0.40 mL vial of 5 percent sodium fluoride varnish (22.6 mg fluoride per mL), a stated coating need of 0.20 mL for a full primary dentition, and 15 percent applicator waste, and computes fluoride applied and children served per ten vials at doses of 0.20 to 0.40 mL. At the full-vial dose of 0.40 mL, ten vials serve 10 children and apply 7.68 mg of fluoride each. At a pooled dose of 0.25 mL, ten vials serve 16 children and apply 4.80 mg each, still above the modelled coating need after waste. Dose should be set by the dentition, not by the vial. This study is simulated, not measured. SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED.