Community dentistry and oral epidemiology最新文献

{"title":"Do Socioeconomic Inequalities, Residential Setting and Social Networks Predict Different Patterns of Dental Services Utilisation?","authors":"Carlos Augusto da Silva Araújo Júnior, Mario Vianna Vettore, Ana Paula Corrêa de Queiroz Herkrath, Diego Cordeiro, Fernando José Herkrath","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70047","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cdoe.70047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To estimate the probability of dental services utilisation according to demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, and social networks of Brazilians aged 15 years and above.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study used data from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey, a household-based representative nationwide survey. Individual interviews collected information on time interval since the last dental appointment, residential setting, sex, race/skin colour, years of school completed with approval, family income and social networks. Predicted probabilities and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of time since last dental visit were estimated using a multinomial logistic regression model. Estimates were obtained using the post-estimation commands of Stata MP, version 17.0, considering the complex sampling design and sampling weights.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Prevalence of last dental visit in the last 12 months was 48.4% (47.8%-49.0%). The projected scenarios showed a significant effect of sex, socioeconomic characteristics and social networks on dental services utilisation. The worst scenario was observed for male individuals living in rural areas, with lower schooling, lower income and lower social networks. In this group, the prevalence of dental visit in the previous 12 months was 14.7% (13.1%-16.2%) and 23.1% (19.3%-26.9%) reported never having had a dental visit. Individuals with low social networks exhibited lower dental services utilisation than those with high social networks, across both better and worse socioeconomic status scenarios.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Individuals aged 15 years and above with poor socioeconomic status, living in rural areas, and those with low social networks had lower use of dental services.</p>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"354-360"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145707652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":"54 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148067567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decolonising Global Oral Health for Health Equity: A Scoping Review of the Global North Literature.","authors":"Homa Fathi, Habib Benzian, Christophe Bedos, Cristin Kearns","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.70070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Dentistry presents itself as neutral and technical, yet its institutions and curricula remain shaped by colonial legacies. Decolonisation is both a concept and a process that seeks to dismantle these legacies and restore legitimacy to marginalised histories, knowledge, and cultures. This review mapped literature on colonial impacts and decolonisation pathways in global oral health, providing a foundation for future dialogue.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A scoping review was conducted. Searches across four databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL) yielded 3263 records, of which 65 articles were eligible. The review included metadata analysis (publication trends, author affiliations, decolonial frameworks) and qualitative thematic analysis in MAXQDA to identify relevant themes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most of the 65 studies were published after 2020 and were authored predominantly by women from Global North institutions. While 58 studies critiqued colonialism, only 21 explicitly engaged with decolonisation. Thematic analysis highlighted three domains where colonial dynamics persist in global oral health: (1) marginalised populations and communities, (2) systems of education, research, and workforce, and (3) discursive forces and narratives-including historical erasures, neoliberal framings, and power structures.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Dentistry has been slower than other health fields to engage with decolonisation and existing efforts are fragmented, rhetorical, and prone to co-optation, leaving the field in an early and uneven stage. Preventing the concept from becoming a hollow buzzword requires epistemic plurality, Indigenous and community leadership, and structural reforms in education, research, and practice. The field's future hinges on whether it continues to perpetuate colonial inequities or redefines itself as a justice-oriented force in global health.</p>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147811857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are We Listening or Just Delivering? A Critical Inquiry Into the Implementation Failures of Global Dental Reforms.","authors":"Manu Raj Mathur, Shehnaz Khan Nabi Khan","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.70069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Globally, dental reforms have gained momentum through enhanced policy dialogues, the rise of digital health, artificial intelligence and outreach initiatives. Yet the burden of oral disease remains disproportionately high among vulnerable populations, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, even as reforms continue to evolve.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This critical narrative review draws on existing disease burden data, documented reform strategies and an examination of structural gaps in care and prevention delivery. It interprets these through two established frameworks, epistemic humility and implementation realism, to interrogate how reforms are designed. It further proposes epidemiological humility as a new conceptual lens to question how data are interpreted and whose reality remains excluded.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The review identifies four recurring patterns: digital innovations that outpace infrastructure and trust, standalone interventions lacking continuity, prevention strategies deployed without curative care and a growing divide between private provision and deteriorating public systems. These gaps not only hinder impact but distort the visibility of oral disease, shaping policies around what is seen rather than what is suffered.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Oral health must be integrated into primary care and embedded in community-based delivery. Reform requires beginning with inclusion, listening before delivering and building systems that centre people's unmet needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147764940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oral Health Interventions for People Living With Diabetes From a Public Health Perspective: A Mapping Review.","authors":"Fernando Valentim Bitencourt, Benoit Varenne, Nicole Rendell, Sangeeta Singh, Yuriko Harada, Ole Secher Knudsen, Carolina Martins-Pfeifer, Cristine Miron Stefani, João Botelho","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.70068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Despite growing concerns about the oral health-diabetes link, there is a lack of dental health interventions focused on people with diabetes. This mapping review synthesised the current landscape of oral health interventions for people with diabetes and identified future opportunities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic search of electronic databases (Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) and grey literature was conducted without language or publication-year restrictions. Eligible evidence was restricted to review-level studies, including systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis), network meta-analyses, and umbrella reviews, that focused on populations living with diabetes (type 1, type 2, or gestational) and reported at least one WHO core oral health outcome. Paired reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality using AMSTAR 2. A thematic map categorised interventions based on WHO-defined core oral health outcomes (periodontitis, dental caries, tooth loss, and oral cancer). Network maps were developed at three levels of action (patient, population, and policymaker), and the findings were stratified by World Bank income classification (2024-2025).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 3527 records were identified. After screening titles and abstracts and assessing 107 full texts, 76 reviews were included (62 systematic reviews, seven umbrella reviews, six network meta-analyses, and one meta-epidemiological study), with the majority originating from high-income countries (54.5%). Most interventions were conducted in clinical settings (n = 50), followed by community (n = 14) and institutional settings (n = 12). Follow-up periods ranged from two weeks to 20 years. At the patient level, interventions predominantly focused on non-surgical periodontal therapy and scaling and root planing (71 studies, 89.0%), often combined with adjunctive antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory therapies (39 studies, 51.3%), and oral hygiene or lifestyle education (25 studies, 32.9%). Population-level strategies were less frequently reported and included community oral health education, fluoride-based prevention, and primary care integration (26 studies, 34.2%). Policymaker-level evidence was limited (one study, 1.3%), emphasising the integration of periodontal care into diabetes management pathways and interdisciplinary healthcare models. The studies from low- and lower-middle income countries were underrepresented (9 of 44 countries, 20.5%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite growing evidence, gaps persist in population-level and policy-oriented interventions, particularly within primary care and in low- and lower-middle-income country contexts. Future priorities include integrating oral health into diabetes care pathways, strengthening interdisciplinary care models, and expanding preventive strategies in low- and middle-income countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147671246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' Experiences With Culturally Safe Dental Research: A Qualitative Exploration.","authors":"Sonia Nath, Ria Aiyar, Johanna Groundwater, Joanne Hedges, Gina L Guzzo, Kostas Kapellas, Alexander Pham, Lisa Jamieson","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.70066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The engagement and retention of Indigenous participants are critical factors in the success of oral health research, particularly in longitudinal studies. However, participant experiences and perceptions of Indigenous research involvement remain underexplored. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore Indigenous participants' experiences of culturally safe oral health research.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The longitudinal intervention study involved Indigenous adults who received culturally safe dental care. The intervention included home-based dental checks, flexible appointment scheduling, regular follow-up and financial support for dental treatment at a local dental clinic. Following dental treatment, semi-structured interviews were conducted using a yarning-based approach to document participants' experiences of both the intervention and the study processes. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Four themes were developed from 136 participants' experiences of culturally safe dental research: (1) research and clinical team characteristics including positive interactions with team members and personalised care; (2) participation in a research intervention that breaks down barriers to dental care including home visits, flexible scheduling and financial support; (3) research participation as a means of supporting personal and community health; and (4) a community-driven recruitment strategy that improved trust and retention.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Culturally safe, community-driven dental research centred on Indigenous representation, personalised care and home-based dental service delivery can effectively reduce barriers to dental care and improve engagement and retention among Indigenous participants in oral health research.</p>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147497774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cost-Effectiveness of Applying Fluoride Varnish to Preschoolers in a Brazilian Scenario: An Economic Modelling Study","authors":"Izabel Monteiro Dhyppolito,&nbsp;Rodolfo Castro,&nbsp;Ana Paula Pires dos Santos,&nbsp;Paulo Nadanovsky","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70031","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cdoe.70031","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;International economic evaluations have not found convincing evidence that the application of fluoride varnish (FV) in preschool children is a cost-effective anti-caries measure, and there is a lack of economic evaluations of FV in the Brazilian context.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aim&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness (CE) of standard care plus FV for Brazilian preschoolers in the general population, comparing it to standard care in terms of prevention of cavitated caries lesions and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Markov models were used, with a 4-year time horizon and 6-month cycles. Transition probabilities were obtained from a national epidemiological survey and randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The effectiveness of FV was derived from a systematic review of RCTs. Costs (in Brazilian reais) were sourced from the 2022 National Agency for Supplemental Health dental procedures list. A discount rate of 5% was applied. CE analyses, Markov simulations (MS), and sensitivity analyses (SA) were conducted. Deterministic sensitivity analysis (DSA) used a 95% confidence interval for each variable. For probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA), beta distribution curves were used for probabilities, gamma for costs, and lognormal for effectiveness.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Standard care plus FV showed an increase in effectiveness (0.01894 and 0.00018 for avoided caries and DALY, respectively) compared to standard care, with an additional cost of R$131.27 per child in the 4-year period. The ICER (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio) was calculated at R$6929.09 per cavitated caries lesion prevented and R$727604.84 per DALY avoided. MS revealed little difference in the percentage of individuals in each health state at the end of the simulations. FV prevented cavities in 4 out of every 100 children over a 4-year period, at an average annual cost of R$33 per child (assuming each child who developed cavitated caries lesions had only one). DSA indicated that FV effectiveness was the parameter with the highest potential to influence the ICER. PSA suggested high CE thresholds, from which FV would be considered cost-effective: R$7000 for caries and R$730000 for DALY.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The total cost of care was lower in the group that invested less in prevention (without FV) compared to the gro","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":"54 2","pages":"191-202"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13000991/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145563014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterns and Predictors of Toothbrushing Frequency in Irish Adolescents: The Role of Autism and Intellectual Disability","authors":"Jennifer A. Parry,&nbsp;J. Tim Newton,&nbsp;Christian Ryan","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70038","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cdoe.70038","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To visualise and explore patterns of daily toothbrushing frequency in Irish adolescents and contribute to the understanding of predictors of toothbrushing habits in autistic adolescents and adolescents with intellectual disability.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Data from the Growing Up in Ireland national longitudinal child study were explored to visualise patterns of toothbrushing in children between 9 and 17/18 years. Data for 17/18-year-olds were examined using descriptive and logistic regression analysis to gain insight into predictors of twice-a-day toothbrushing within the full adolescent dataset and a subgroup of autistic adolescents and adolescents with intellectual disability.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Gender, eating breakfast every day and experience of orthodontics positively predicted twice-a-day toothbrushing for young people in general. Oral health rating below excellent, infrequent dental checkups, obesity and drinking soft drinks (not diet) daily negatively predicted twice-a-day toothbrushing. For autistic adolescents and adolescents with intellectual disability, results suggested that the lowest self-rating of oral health, drinking soft drinks (not diet) daily and being autistic with intellectual disability may be factors that influence less than twice-a-day toothbrushing.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Regular contact with the dental team and healthy lifestyle habits may positively influence twice-a-day toothbrushing. Frequency of toothbrushing and actionable targets to support oral health, where high support and more complex oral health challenges exist, require further research.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":"54 2","pages":"241-250"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13000997/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145534385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Upstream Interventions to Promote Oral Health and Reduce Oral Health Inequalities: A Scoping Review","authors":"Michelle Stennett,&nbsp;Eleanor Dawson,&nbsp;Marisza Hijryana,&nbsp;Paul Cannon,&nbsp;Blanaid Daly,&nbsp;Lorna Macpherson,&nbsp;Richard G. Watt","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70049","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cdoe.70049","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This scoping review aimed to map global evidence on upstream interventions which promote oral health and reduce socioeconomic inequalities in oral health.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A review was undertaken in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. A multistranded comprehensive search strategy was employed to identify relevant studies. Article texts were retrieved and assessed for eligibility against the inclusion criteria. Key findings were extracted and summarised.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 99 articles (74 empirical studies and 25 systematic, scoping and umbrella reviews) were included in the scoping review. The review findings revealed a limited number of upstream interventions specifically focused on promoting oral health and reducing oral health inequalities. Legislative and regulatory measures (e.g., advertising controls), fiscal measures (e.g., sugar-sweetened beverage taxation) and specific oral health interventions (e.g., water fluoridation) have shown a positive impact on promoting oral health. In addition, fiscal measures, food subsidies targeted at low-income groups and improvements to housing/work environments have proven effective in reducing socioeconomic inequalities in general health outcomes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Despite a very detailed and thorough search of the global literature, this scoping review identified a limited number of upstream interventions that specifically focused on improving oral health, and an even smaller number of upstream interventions that tackled oral health inequalities. However, the review did identify three levels of upstream intervention including: policies tackling the broader socio-political determinants of health; policies combating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) linked to oral health; and some specific interventions (e.g., water fluoridation) focusing on oral health. The upstream approach to prevention remains highly relevant to public health policy and provides a guiding principle for future strategic action to promote oral health and tackle oral health inequalities.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":"54 2","pages":"146-162"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13000981/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145854774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fluoride Varnish for Caries Prevention in Preschoolers: An Overview of Reviews","authors":"Flávia Macedo Couto,&nbsp;Fernanda Santos de Oliveira Sousa,&nbsp;Izabel Monteiro Dhyppolito,&nbsp;Fernanda Barja-Fidalgo,&nbsp;Ana Paula Pires dos Santos,&nbsp;Paulo Nadanovsky","doi":"10.1111/cdoe.70032","DOIUrl":"10.1111/cdoe.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objectives</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study aimed to overview the available evidence from systematic reviews (SRs) on the effects of fluoride varnish (FV) for caries prevention in preschoolers.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Systematic 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.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fourteen 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.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Most 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.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":10580,"journal":{"name":"Community dentistry and oral epidemiology","volume":"54 2","pages":"203-219"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13000968/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145563082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}