Prediction of early caries prognosis after fluoride application based on the severity of lesions: An in situ study

Fluoride application was found to increase the ΔF values of lesions significantly over time (p < 0.001). The groups with lower ΔF(0) values showed significantly larger changes in ΔF values over time (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristics analysis showed that baseline lesion values of ΔF(0) = −17.50 and −25.50 would allow for lesion ΔF to recover to −10 at 1 and 4 weeks after fluoride application, respectively (p < 0.001). The findings of this study indicate that clinicians can establish prognostic criteria for early carious lesions using the QLF technology, and hence predict the efficacy of fluoride treatment and devise effective lesion-specific treatment plans.