While oral health promotion campaigns have raised awareness of the severity of ECC among these communities, the literature shows that for this age cohort, increasing host resistance through professionally applied topical fluoride (PATF) applications at regular intervals may achieve better results. Of all the PATF methods, slow-release fluoride varnish may be the most practical alternative to the use of gels, foams and rinses, as it decreases the risk of fluoride ingestion and is associated with greater patient acceptability. Fluoride varnish has shown promise as a caries reduction agent but more evidence for the effectiveness of this intervention is needed, particularly for high-caries-risk populations like those in Aboriginal communities.