Evidence mapPaperPMID 41438433Full record

ArticleJournal of oral biology and craniofacial research

Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two sodium fluoride varnish systems in preventing dental caries in children: a randomized clinical trial.

Mahesh R Khairnar, P G Naveen Kumar, Harloveen Sabharwal, Sachin Kumar Jadhav, Sheetal Badnaware, Neha Shukla, Ananta Kusumakar, Zainab Akram, Savitha Priyadarsini S, Ridhi Ghodela

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Article in Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Mahesh R KhairnarPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
P G Naveen KumarPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Harloveen SabharwalPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Sachin Kumar JadhavPublic Health Dentistry, ESIC Dental College, Gulbarga, India.
Sheetal BadnawarePaediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Neha ShuklaPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Ananta KusumakarPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Zainab AkramPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Savitha Priyadarsini SPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Ridhi GhodelaPublic Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Dental caries frequently affects first permanent molars soon after eruption due to their anatomical susceptibility. Fluoride varnish is a widely accepted preventive measure; however, different formulations vary in fluoride retention and cost. Evidence comparing both clinical outcomes and economic value of available varnishes in children remains limited. Aim: To compare the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of resin-based and alcohol-based 5 % sodium fluoride varnishes in preventing dental caries in permanent first molars of high-risk schoolchildren. Design: A double-blind, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted among 84 children (330 M) aged 6-8 years from a private school in Varanasi, India. Participants received either resin-based varnish (163 teeth) or alcohol-based varnish (167 teeth) at six-month intervals. Caries incidence was assessed at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months using ICDAS-II. A financial cost-benefit perspective was adopted, considering direct material and application costs borne by the provider and estimated restorative treatment savings for patients. Appropriate statistical tests were used for analysis (α = 0.05). Results: Caries incidence remained low in both groups after 24 months (resin-based: 7.4 %; alcohol-based: 7.8 %; p = 0.961). No significant differences were found in early or advanced lesions at any interval (p > 0.05). ITT and Per-protocol analyses revealed negligible effect sizes (Cliff's Delta ≤0.05). Cost-effectiveness analysis demonstrated that the alcohol-based varnish produced ₹62.22 savings per ₹1 spent, compared to ₹8.47 in resin-based group. The cost to save ₹100 in future restorative expenses was ₹1.61 (alcohol-based) and ₹11.80 (resin-based). Conclusion: Both varnishes were equally effective, but alcohol-based varnish was substantially more cost-effective, making it a suitable choice for large-scale preventive programs in resource-constrained settings.

Indexed as

Cost-effectivenessDental caries preventionDental varnishesFluoridesRandomized controlled trialTopical

Identifiers

PMID41438433
PMCPMC12719153

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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 Socratic graph.