Fluoride varnish vs Fissure sealant (resin-based or glass ionomer): Increment of occlusal DMFS (decayed, missing, filled surfaces) of FPMs
- Population
- Generally healthy children aged 6 to 9 years with at least one fully erupted first permanent molar with deep fissures or early enamel caries (ICDAS 0-3)
- Intervention
- Fluoride varnish
- Comparison
- Fissure sealant (resin-based or glass ionomer)
- Outcome
- Increment of occlusal DMFS (decayed, missing, filled surfaces) of FPMs
Fluoride varnish and fissure sealant did not differ significantly in occlusal DMFS increment of FPMs (MD 0.13, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.34; 3 RCTs; ungraded).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Fluoride varnish applied biannually vs Fissure sealant (resin-based or glass ionomer) Increment of occlusal DMFS (decayed, missing, filled surfaces) of FPMs · Generally healthy children aged 6 to 9 years with at least one fully erupted first permanent molar with deep fissures… · 2 to 3 years Fluoride varnish and fissure sealant did not differ significantly in occlusal DMFS increment of FPMs (MD 0.13, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.34; 3 RCTs; ungraded). Comparison between Fissure Sealant and Fluoride Varnish on Caries Prevention for First Permanent Molars: a… (2020) All outcomes | MD 0.13 [-0.09, 0.34] | 3 studies · 1787 participants | GRADE not reported |
Fluoride varnish applied biannually vs Fissure sealant (resin-based or glass ionomer) Increment of occlusal DMFS (decayed, missing, filled surfaces) of FPMs · Generally healthy children aged 6 to 9 years with at least one fully erupted first permanent molar with deep fissures… · 2 to 3 years, Sensitivity analysis excluding Bravo 1997 (high risk of bias) Excluding Bravo 1997, occlusal DMFS increment still did not differ between fluoride varnish and fissure sealant (MD 0.04, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.23; 2 RCTs; ungraded). Comparison between Fissure Sealant and Fluoride Varnish on Caries Prevention for First Permanent Molars: a… (2020) All outcomes | MD 0.04 [-0.15, 0.23] | 2 studies | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comparison between Fissure Sealant and Fluoride Varnish on Caries Prevention for First Permanent Molars: a Systematic Review and… 2020 All outcomes | February 2018 | 7 | Critically Low / Critically Low |
Studies behind the findings
The primary studies the full-text reviews tie to this outcome. Reviews with headline outcomes only do not list them here.
- A 24‐month Study Comparing Sealant and Fluoride Varnish in Caries Reduction on Different Permanent First Molar Surfaces · 1997 · included by 1 of these review
- Tagliaferro 2011 · included by 1 of these review
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.