What do systematic reviews say?

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

Comprehensive oral health intervention (oral health education plus additional support: motivational interviewing, toothbrush/toothpaste provision, community engagement, and/or fluoride varnish/sealant application) delivered by non-dental health workers vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Comprehensive interventions produced a small, statistically significant reduction in surface-level caries (dmfs SMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.26 to -0.02; 10 studies; not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.) · Comprehensive intervention (vs oral health education only)
  SMD -0.14 [-0.26, -0.02]
  10 studies
  GRADE not reported

Comprehensive oral health intervention (oral health education plus additional support: motivational interviewing, toothbrush/toothpaste provision, community engagement, and/or fluoride varnish/sealant application) delivered by non-dental health workers vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Comprehensive interventions produced a statistically significant reduction in tooth-level caries (dmft SMD -0.47, 95% CI -0.84 to -0.10; 4 studies; not GRADE-rated), though heterogeneity was very high.

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.) · Comprehensive intervention (vs oral health education only)
  SMD -0.47 [-0.84, -0.10]
  4 studies
  GRADE not reported