Started toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste before 24 months (earlier start) vs Started after 24 months (later start): Fluorosis (percentage prevalence in permanent teeth)
- Population
- Children exposed to topical fluoride when under 6 years old; fluorosis assessed in permanent teeth at 6 to 18 years
- Intervention
- Started toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste before 24 months (earlier start)
- Comparison
- Started after 24 months (later start)
- Outcome
- Fluorosis (percentage prevalence in permanent teeth)
It is very uncertain whether started toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste before 24 months… changes fluorosis (percentage prevalence in permanent teeth) compared with started after 24 months (later start) (very low certainty).
What each review found
Include earlier review versions| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Started toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste before 24 months (earlier start) vs Started after 24 months (later start) Fluorosis (percentage prevalence in permanent teeth) · Children exposed to topical fluoride when under 6 years old; fluorosis assessed in permanent teeth at 6 to 18 years · Fluorosis assessed when most permanent teeth of interest had erupted (6 to 18 years) It is very uncertain whether started toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste before 24 months… changes fluorosis (percentage prevalence in permanent teeth) compared with started after 24 months (later start) (very low certainty). Topical fluoride as a cause of dental fluorosis in children (2024) · Cochrane All outcomes | OR 2.25 [1.19, 4.23] | 6 studies · 1223 participants | Very low |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topical fluoride as a cause of dental fluorosis in children 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes | 2022-07 | Not listed | Not assessed |
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.