ReviewCommunity dentistry and oral epidemiology2026
Fluoride Varnish for Caries Prevention in Preschoolers: An Overview of Reviews.
Review in Community dentistry and oral epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Evolution of income inequalities in the caries experience of 5-year-old children in Brazil between 2010 and 2023.Revista brasileira de epidemiologia = Brazilian journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
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.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThis study aimed to overview the available evidence from systematic reviews (SRs) on the effects of fluoride varnish (FV) for caries prevention in preschoolers.
methodsSystematic reviews, with or without meta-analyses, of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-randomised trials evaluating the use of FV in preschoolers to prevent dentin caries compared to placebo, standard care, or no intervention were included. The search was last updated in July 2025 across eight electronic databases. Two researchers independently assessed eligibility and extracted data, resolving disagreements by discussion or with a third researcher if needed. The methodological quality, risk of bias, and certainty of evidence of the SRs were assessed using AMSTAR-2, ROBIS, and GRADE, respectively. The results were synthesised descriptively.
resultsFourteen SRs published between 2001 and 2023 were included. Six SRs reported insufficient evidence to conclude on the effectiveness of FV; six concluded that FV is effective; and two suggested that FV provides a probably irrelevant clinical benefit. One SR had a high methodological quality, two had low, and 11 were rated as critically low. The risk of bias was considered low in three SRs and high in 11. The certainty of evidence ranged from moderate to very low, with the risk of bias being the criterion that most contributed to downgrading it.
conclusionsMost systematic reviews on the effectiveness of fluoride varnish in preventing caries in preschoolers are of critically low quality and high risk of bias, with conflicting findings. Systematic reviews that included more recent studies with lower risk of bias indicated that fluoride varnish provides relatively limited or no additional benefit to children who use fluoride toothpaste. Therefore, the routine application of fluoride varnish in preschoolers should be reconsidered.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.