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Caries Treatment

 Do topical fluorides effectively reduce caries in children and adolescents?

  • Yes. Varnish (40%) had a greater efficacy than rinse (26%), toothpaste (24%) and gel (21%). (Evidence level 1). Read the abstract.
Does adding topical fluoride therapy (mouthrinse, gel, varnish) while using fluoride toothpaste benefit children in the prevention of caries?
  • Yes. Caries declined an additional 10% when combination therapy was used. (Evidence level 1). Read the abstract.

Are school-based fluoride varnish programs effective in preventing approximal caries?

  • Yes. Fluoride varnish treatment once a month had the best preventive effect (76%) while treatment twice a year (66%) was most cost-effective. (Evidence level 1). Read the abstract.

Does ozone stop or reverse caries progression?

  • Unknown. Poor quality randomized clinical trials with inconsistent results prevent cause-effect determination. (Evidence level 1). Read the abstract.

In high-risk pre-school children, can glass ionomer sealants on primary molars reduce caries?   

  • No.  The primary reason may be that 80% of the glass ionomer sealants were lost within 30 months. (Evidence level 1). Read the abstract.

Is ferric sulphate as effective as formocresol for primary molars pulpotomies?   

  • Yes.  Medicaments did not differ in clinical or radiographic outcomes. (Evidence Level 1).  Read the abstract.

Is the discomfort from atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) of multisurface cavities in deciduous molars less than from rotary instruments?   

  • Yes. Discomfort, measured by behavior and physical factors, was less. (Evidence Level 1).  Read the abstract.

Do retention rates differ between a conventional resin sealant and a flowable restorative system?   

  • Yes. Flowable restorative sealants had a significantly higher retention rate at both 6 month and 1-year evaluations. (Evidence Level 1).  Read the abstract.

Is fluoride varnish and counseling more effective than counseling alone?

  • Yes. The number of children with no caries after two years was 38% with just counseling compared to 53% with counseling and fluoride varnish twice per year. (Evidence Level 1).  Read the abstract.

Does partial caries removal reduce the risk of pulp exposure?  

  • Yes. Partial caries removal in symptom less primary and permanent teeth reduced the risk of pulp exposure. (Evidence Level 1).  Read the abstract.