THE ROLE OF FLUORIDE IN THE CONTROL, PREVENTION AND IN THE EARLY STAGE OF CARIOUS LESION: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Tooth decay continues to be prevalent in the oral cavity. Its progression is multifactorial, resulting from the combination of several cariogenic bacteria, food intake, inadequate oral hygiene and salivary factors. Dentistry has been moving towards detection, diagnosis and choice of more conservative treatment, with the use of fluoride for preventive and therapeutic means in the initial lesions, providing a stoppage of these. The objective of this literature review is to highlight the importance of fluoride in the prevention and control of early caries lesions, promoting rapid and effective remineralization of the tooth structure. The search for studies was carried out using a scientific database, “Google Scholar”, “Scielo” (Scientific Electronic Library Online) and ‘‘Pubmed’’ using an association of descriptors in DeCS/MeSH. The inclusion criteria were: published articles on clinical studies and literature reviews in both languages ​​published between 2016-2024, and except for older ones that had great relevance on the subject, made available online. In this sense, this research highlights the importance of using fluoride as an effective way to control the disease and demonstrating the effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic use against carious lesions in the early stages.