Topical fluoride for caries prevention
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Background A panel of experts convened by the American Dental Association (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs presents evidence-based clinical recommendations regarding professionally applied and prescription-strength, home-use topical fluoride agents for caries prevention. These recommendations are an update of the 2006 ADA recommendations regarding professionally applied topical fluoride and were developed by using a new process that includes conducting a systematic review of primary studies. Types of studies reviewed The authors conducted a search of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library for clinical trials of professionally applied and prescription-strength topical fluoride agents--including mouthrinses, varnishes, gels, foams and pastes--with caries increment outcomes published in English through October 2012. Results The panel included 71 trials from 82 articles in its review and assessed the efficacy of various topical fluoride caries-preventive agents. The panel makes recommendations for further research. Practical implications The panel recommends the following for people at risk of developing dental caries: 2.26 percent fluoride varnish or 1.23 percent fluoride (acidulated phosphate fluoride) gel, or a prescription-strength, home-use 0.05 percent fluoride gel or paste or 0.09 percent fluoride mouthrinse for patients 6 years or older. Only 2.26 percent fluoride varnish is recommended for children younger than 6 years. The strengths of the recommendations for the recommended products varied from "in favor" to "expert opinion for." As part of the evidence-based approach to care, these clinical recommendations should be integrated with the practitioner's professional judgment and the patient's needs and preferences.
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Fluoride varnish is superior in high-risk populations, particularly among children with inadequate oral hygiene and frequent consumption of fermentable carbohydrates.
“A systematic review further supports the efficacy of fluoride varnish, highlighting its superior effectiveness in high-risk populations, particularly among children with inadequate oral hygiene and frequent consumption of fermentable carbohydrates [22].”
From Minimally Invasive Techniques for Managing Dental Caries in Children: Efficacy, Applications, and Future Directions (2025) · cites this paper as [22]
The Varnish section (page unavailable) reports a benefit of 2.26% fluoride varnish for children and reviews trials in populations with varying levels of caries. It does not establish that varnish is more effective in high-risk populations, or specifically in children with inadequate oral hygiene and frequent consumption of fermentable carbohydrates. (LLM, conf=0.87)
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References 369 · Cited by 357
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- Authors
- Weyant, R. J., Tracy, S. L., Anselmo, T. (., Beltrán-Aguilar, E. D., Donly, K. J., Frese, W. A., Hujoel, P. P., Iafolla, T., Kohn, W., Kumar, J., Levy, S. M., Tinanoff, N., Wright, J. T., Zero, D., Aravamudhan, K., Frantsve-Hawley, J., & Meyer, D. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- American Dental Association (US)
- American Dental Hygienists' Association (US)
- The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center (US)
- American Academy of Pediatrics (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Delta Dental Plans Association (US)
- New York State Department of Health (US)
- University of Iowa (US)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tracy, Sharon L.
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Journal of the American Dental Association
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-11
- Volume
- 144
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1279-1291
- ISSN
- 0002-8177 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4581720
- OpenAlex
- W1968104496
- Cited by
- 357
- References
- 369
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 17
- FWCI
- 25.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Journal of the American Dental Association (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (CC999999)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Orthodontics › Dental Erosion and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Keywords
- topical fluoride, dental caries prevention, fluoride varnish, fluoride mouthwash, caries increment, clinical guidelines, children
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Cariostatic Agents, Child, Child, Preschool, Dental Caries, Fluorides, Topical, Humans, Mouthwashes, Young Adult
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