Journal of dental education
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Review Meta Analysis
Systematic review of controlled trials on the effectiveness of fluoride gels for the prevention of dental caries in children.
Fluoride gels have been widely used since the 1970s. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness and safety of fluoride gels in the prevention of dental caries in children and to examine factors potentially modifying their effectiveness. Relevant randomized or quasi-randomized trials were identified without language restrictions by searching multiple databases, reference lists of articles, and journals and by contacting selected authors and manufacturers. ⋯ The best estimate of the magnitude of this effect, based on the fourteen placebo-controlled trials, is a 21 percent reduction (95 percent CI, 14 to 28 percent) in D(M)FS. This corresponds to an NNT of two (95 percent CI, 1 to 3) to avoid one D(M)FS in a population with a caries increment of 2.2 D(M)FS/year, or an NNT of twenty-four (95 percent CI, 18 to 36) based on an increment of 0.2 D(M)FS/year. However, further work is needed to identify and quantify potential harmful effects of fluoride gels.