Fluoride mouthrinse (0.05-0.32% sodium fluoride or amine fluoride) added to daily fluoride toothpaste vs Control: fluoride toothpaste alone, placebo mouthrinse + toothpaste, or non-fluoride (chlorhexidine) mouthrinse + toothpaste: Incidence of proximal (interdental) caries lesions from bitewing radiographs
- Population
- Orthodontic patients (any age) undergoing orthodontic treatment (mostly fixed appliances)
- Intervention
- Fluoride mouthrinse (0.05-0.32% sodium fluoride or amine fluoride) added to daily fluoride toothpaste
- Comparison
- Control: fluoride toothpaste alone, placebo mouthrinse + toothpaste, or non-fluoride (chlorhexidine) mouthrinse + toothpaste
- Outcome
- Incidence of proximal (interdental) caries lesions from bitewing radiographs
Only one included study assessed proximal caries incidence from bitewing radiographs; it was not included in the meta-analysis and no pooled estimate is available (ungraded).
What each review found
Include earlier review versions| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Fluoride mouthrinse (0.05-0.32% sodium fluoride or amine fluoride) added to daily fluoride toothpaste vs Control: fluoride toothpaste alone, placebo mouthrinse + toothpaste, or non-fluoride (chlorhexidine) mouthrinse + toothpaste Incidence of proximal (interdental) caries lesions from bitewing radiographs · Children, adolescents and adults undergoing fixed (multi-bracket) orthodontic treatment · At debonding (~23-24 months), Clinical orthodontic (fixed multi-bracket appliance) treatment Only one included study assessed proximal caries incidence from bitewing radiographs; it was not included in the meta-analysis and no pooled estimate is available (ungraded). Fluoride mouthrinses for prevention of initial caries in orthodontic patients - a systematic review and… (2025) All outcomes | In one study assessments of proximal caries incidence were made as well [18]. However, just the data on the incidence of white spot lesions was included in our meta-analysis as different endpoints for the assessments… | 1 study | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluoride mouthrinses for prevention of initial caries in orthodontic patients - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes | September 30, 2024 | 9 | 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.
- Effect of a mouth rinse and a high-fluoride toothpaste on caries incidence in orthodontic patients: A randomized controlled trial · 2022 · 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.