Summary of findings 3. Resin‐based fissure sealant plus fluoride varnish versus fluoride varnish alone for preventing dental caries.
| Resin‐based fissure sealant plus fluoride varnish compared with fluoride varnish alone for preventing dental caries | ||||||
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Population: children and adolescents at school in Germany Setting: preventive dentistry Intervention: resin‐based fissure sealant + fluoride varnish applications on occlusal tooth surfaces of permanent first molars Comparison: fluoride varnish applications to occlusal tooth surfaces of permanent first molars | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | Number of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Fluoride‐varnished teeth | Sealed + fluoride‐varnished teeth | |||||
| Dentine caries in permanent molars Follow‐up: 2 years | 223 per 1000 | 144 fewer per 1000 (from 87 fewer to 176 fewer) | OR 0.30 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.55) | 92 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ Very lowa,b,c |
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| Adverse effects | Not measured | |||||
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI) CI: confidence interval; OR: odds ratio. | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect. Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate; the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited; the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate; the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect. | ||||||
aStudy conducted in the 1990s (Splieth 2001). bNo information on caries incidence among control teeth without treatment. Baseline caries of the study population (children five to eight years of age): mean decayed, missing and filled permanent surfaces 0.2. cDowngraded three levels because a single study (92 analysed participants) was conducted as early as the 1990s without information on caries incidence among control teeth without treatment, and although the study was otherwise well conducted, lack of blinding to outcome measurement caused further uncertainty about results.