Question · asked by 1 review

Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs placebo or no treatment: Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction

Population
Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition)
Intervention
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year)
Comparison
placebo or no treatment
Outcome
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction

What each review found

Current versions only
No studies found 0 · 0%GRADE not reported 7 · 100%Very low 0 · 0%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
FindingEffectStudiesGRADE certainty
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs Placebo or no treatment
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition) · Nearest to 3 years
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and… (2003) · Cochrane All outcomes
PF 0.26 [0.21, 0.30]79 studiesGRADE not reported
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs Placebo or no treatment
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition) · Nearest to 3 years, Fluoride varnish trials
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and… (2003) · Cochrane All outcomes
PF 0.53 [0.23, 0.82]3 studiesGRADE not reported
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs Placebo or no treatment
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition) · Nearest to 3 years, Fluoride gel trials
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and… (2003) · Cochrane All outcomes
PF 0.32 [0.19, 0.46]10 studiesGRADE not reported
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs Placebo or no treatment
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition) · Nearest to 3 years, No-treatment-controlled trials
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and… (2003) · Cochrane All outcomes
PF 0.45 [0.32, 0.58]7 studiesGRADE not reported
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs Placebo or no treatment
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition) · Nearest to 3 years, Fluoride mouthrinse trials
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and… (2003) · Cochrane All outcomes
PF 0.24 [0.18, 0.30]13 studiesGRADE not reported
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs Placebo or no treatment
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition) · Nearest to 3 years, Placebo-controlled trials
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and… (2003) · Cochrane All outcomes
PF 0.24 [0.20, 0.28]72 studiesGRADE not reported
Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs Placebo or no treatment
Caries increment on permanent whole teeth (D(M)FT), prevented fraction · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or younger (permanent dentition) · Nearest to 3 years, Fluoride toothpaste trials
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and… (2003) · Cochrane All outcomes
PF 0.23 [0.19, 0.28]53 studiesGRADE not reported

Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.

The reviews

ReviewSearched up toIncluded studiesAMSTAR 2
Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents
2003 · Cochrane All outcomes
2001-10Not listedNot 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.