What do systematic reviews say?

Fluoride mouthrinse, gel or varnish combined with fluoride toothpaste (any combined regimen) vs Fluoride toothpaste alone

• Combinations of topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels, varnishes) versus single topical fluoride for… 2004 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years
  PF 0.10 [0.02, 0.17]
  9 studies · 4026 participants
  GRADE not reported

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  We could not present estimates of the effect of fluoride mouthrinse on caries increment in deciduous teeth/tooth surfaces (dmf index) as no study contributed data. None of the included trials reported on caries…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume,… showed no clear difference in proportion of children developing one or more new caries compared with placebo or no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  RR 0.77 [0.46, 1.29]
  3 studies · 1805 participants
  GRADE not reported

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  One trial (Rugg-Gunn 1973) reported incompletely on oral soft tissue irritation/signs of sensitivity (allergic reaction): "no cases of mucosal hypersensitivity after periodical examinations of every subject". 434…
  1 study · 434 participants
  Very low

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  Signs of acute toxicity during application of treatment (such as nausea/gagging/vomiting): "Not reported in any studies"; "No data on signs of acute toxicity". None of the studies reported adverse acute symptoms…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

It is very uncertain whether fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume,… changes unacceptability of treatment as measured by leaving study early… compared with placebo or no treatment (very low certainty).

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  RR 1.33 [0.62, 2.83]
  4 studies · 1700 participants
  Very low

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  PF 0.23 [0.18, 0.29]
  13 studies · 5105 participants
  Moderate

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  PF 0.27 [0.23, 0.30]
  35 studies · 15305 participants
  Moderate

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  None of the trials reported data on the proportion of children not remaining caries-free.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  Study 1: "significant difference" in stain score (from the control) in the group using an amine fluoride mouthrinse; "non-significant difference" (from the control) in the group using sodium fluoride. In 2 trials where…
  3 studies
  Very low

Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs placebo or no treatment

• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years · Placebo-controlled trials
  PF 0.24 [0.22, 0.27]
  116 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years
  PF 0.26 [0.23, 0.29]
  133 studies · 65169 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years · Fluoride mouthrinse trials
  PF 0.26 [0.23, 0.30]
  34 studies
  GRADE 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

• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years · Fluoride gel trials
  PF 0.26 [-0.11, 0.63]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years · No-treatment-controlled trials
  PF 0.41 [0.26, 0.55]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years · Placebo-controlled trials
  PF 0.27 [0.08, 0.48]
  3 studies
  GRADE 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

• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years
  PF 0.26 [0.21, 0.30]
  79 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years · Fluoride varnish trials
  PF 0.53 [0.23, 0.82]
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Nearest to 3 years · Fluoride gel trials
  PF 0.32 [0.19, 0.46]
  10 studies
  GRADE 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

• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Data on adverse effects (stain score, proportion of children with tooth staining, signs of sensitivity in oral soft tissue, adverse symptoms such as nausea/vomiting, etching of enamel) were reported in only a few…
  Studies not reported
  GRADE 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

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Fluorosis data have not been reported in any of the trials.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs placebo or no treatment

Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish;… showed no clear difference in unacceptability of treatment (dropouts/exclusions during the trial) compared with placebo or no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes

  During trial · No-treatment-controlled trials
  RR 1.20 [0.85, 1.70]
  10 studies
  GRADE 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

Topical fluoride therapy (toothpaste, mouthrinse, gel or varnish;… led to lower proportion of children developing one or more new caries compared with placebo or no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2003 · Cochrane All outcomes
  RR 0.88 [0.82, 0.95]
  13 studies
  GRADE not reported

Active rinse (zinc acetate + chlorhexidine + sodium fluoride), with or without tongue scraping vs Negative control rinse, with or without tongue scraping

• Interventions for managing halitosis 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Ademovski 2012 (4-arm cross-over trial) compared an active rinse (with/without tongue scraping) versus a negative control rinse (with/without tongue scraping); OLT and VSC. The authors did not report the correlation…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported