Fluoride varnish vs Untreated lesions (single-arm before vs after proportion): Remineralisation of early enamel caries
- Population
- Patients (mainly children) with white spot lesions (WSL)
- Intervention
- Fluoride varnish
- Comparison
- Untreated lesions (single-arm before vs after proportion)
- Outcome
- Remineralisation of early enamel caries
Professionally applied 5% sodium fluoride varnish remineralised about two-thirds of early enamel caries lesions in children (pooled proportion 63.6%, 95% CI 36.0% to 91.2%; 4 studies); certainty was not GRADE-rated and heterogeneity was very high (I2=96%).
What each review found
Include earlier review versions| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Professionally applied 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish vs Untreated lesions (single-arm before vs after proportion) Remineralisation of early enamel caries (proportion of lesions remineralised) · Children with early enamel caries or white spot lesions · Children in clinical dental settings Professionally applied 5% sodium fluoride varnish remineralised about two-thirds of early enamel caries lesions in children (pooled proportion 63.6%, 95% CI 36.0% to 91.2%; 4 studies); certainty was not GRADE-rated and heterogeneity was very high (I2=96%). Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) All outcomes | Proportion 0.636 [0.360, 0.912] | 4 studies | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a systematic review. 2016 All outcomes | Publications from 1948 to 2014 (search date not reported) | 17 | 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.
- Therapeutic potential of Brazilian fluoride varnishes: an in vivo study. · 2011 · included by 1 of these review
- Therapeutic effect of two fluoride varnishes on white spot lesions: a randomized clinical trial. · 2009 · included by 1 of these review
- Association of chlorhexidine and fluoride for plaque control and white spot lesion remineralization in primary dentition. · 2008 · included by 1 of these review
- Assessing the effect of fluoride varnish on early enamel carious lesions in the primary dentition. · 2001 · 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.