ReviewCureus2025
Effectiveness of Various Fluoride Varnishes in Preventing Dental Caries in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Evidence From Educational Settings.
Review in Cureus, 2025. 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.
- Effect of silver diamine fluoride versus fluoride varnish in arresting early childhood caries: A clinical study.Bioinformation · 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
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Dental caries is a chronic oral disease that affects children and adolescents worldwide, significantly impacting oral health and quality of life. Fluoride varnish (FV) application is an effective preventive intervention to reduce the incidence and increment of caries, particularly when delivered within educational settings. This systematic review collates evidence from 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted across diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts. The primary objective is to assess the efficacy of various fluoride interventions delivered in educational settings. PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL), and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies that met the inclusion criteria of focusing on FV application in children in educational settings with a minimum six-month follow-up. The Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2; Cochrane, London, United Kingdom) tool was used to evaluate methodological quality, and Review Manager (RevMan), Version 7.12.0 (2024; Cochrane) was used for quantitative synthesis. The combined data from more than 13,000 children who received FV showed a consistently lower risk of dental caries than that of the controls, with risk ratios strongly supporting the intervention. School-based FV delivery systems are feasible, and their economic value appears to vary depending on program design and local resources. The preventive impact of FV was strong, despite differences in study designs, caries evaluation techniques, and follow-up times. However, to maximize policy implementation, long-term assessments using standardized outcomes such as child-level caries incidence, DMFT (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth) increments, and Dental Fear Survey (DFS) scores reported at common time points are needed. In summary, this review offers compelling data supporting the use of FV as a safe and successful method for preventing dental cavities in children and adolescents in educational settings. The results support the widespread inclusion of FV in school-based health services worldwide and reaffirm its importance as a component of comprehensive oral health promotion programs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.