Trial reportBMC oral health2023
The effectiveness of topical fluoride agents on preventing development of approximal caries in primary teeth: a randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in BMC oral health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of School Fluoride Delivery Programs: A Community Guide Systematic Review.American journal of preventive medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Topical silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for preventing and managing dental caries in children and adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- The role of silver diamine fluoride as dental caries preventive and arresting agent: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in oral health · 2024Pooled it
- A prospective, triple-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating the protective effect of P11-4 peptide on enamel demineralization during multibracket orthodontic treatment.BMC oral health · 2026Trial
- Knowledge, attitude and practice of paediatric dentists towards silver diammine fluoride in Egypt: a national survey.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026Article
- Minimally Invasive Interventions for Childhood Caries: A Scoping Review of Their Applicability in Public Health and Community Settings.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Comparative Efficacy of Silver Diamine Fluoride and Sodium Fluoride in Managing Early Childhood Caries: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of dentistry · 2026Review
- Non-Invasive Methods for the Secondary and Tertiary Prevention of Early Childhood Caries: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Review
- Antibacterial activity and physicochemical properties of light-curable fluoride varnishes containing strontium phosphate-based glass.Clinical oral investigations · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Factors Affecting Fluoride Release from Fluoride Varnishes: A Systematic Review.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Resin infiltration and fluoride varnish for caries control in children: A systematic review.Bioinformation · 2025Article
- Comprehensive in vitro and in ovo assessment of cytotoxicity: Unraveling the impact of sodium fluoride, xylitol, and their synergistic associations in dental products.Biomolecules & biomedicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis 18-month randomized clinical trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of two topical fluoride applications versus placebo control on preventing development of approximal caries in primary teeth.
methodsPreschool children were recruited if they had at least one initial approximal carious lesion at the distal surface of the canines, both approximal surfaces of the first molars, or the mesial surface of the second molars assessed from bitewing radiographs. The participants were randomly allocated into 3 intervention groups: Group 1 (placebo control), Group 2 (5% sodium fluoride [NaF] varnish), and Group 3 (38% silver diamine fluoride [SDF]). All agents were applied semiannually. Two calibrated examiners evaluated the caries development from bitewing radiographs. Caries development was recorded when the baseline sound surface or initial approximal carious lesion surface developed dentin caries (beyond the outer one-third of dentine) at the follow-up examination. The intention-to-treat approach was adopted. The Chi-square test was used to analyze the effectiveness of topical fluoride agents in preventing approximal caries development and the effect of other variables. The multi-level logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relative effectiveness of topical fluoride agents in preventing approximal caries development at the 18-month follow-up.
resultsAt baseline, 190 participants with 2,685 sound or initial carries at the approximal surfaces were recruited. No differences in participant demographic backgrounds, oral health related habits, or caries experience were observed among the 3 groups (P > 0.05). After 18 months, 155 (82%) participants remained in the study. The rates of developing approximal caries in Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 24.1%, 17.1%, and 27.2%, respectively (P < 0.001, χ
conclusionAt 18-month follow-up, after adjusting for confounding factors and clustering effect, there were no statistically significant differences in preventing of approximal caries development between the semiannual application of 5%NaF, 38%SDF, or placebo.
trial registrationThe study was registered in the Thai Clinical Trials Registry under the number TCTR20190315003 on 15/03/2019.
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