First permanent molars are highly susceptible to dental caries soon after eruption, and fluoride varnish is commonly used as a preventive strategy. However, evidence comparing the clinical effectiveness and cost-efficiency of different varnish formulations in children remains limited. To address this gap, a study evaluated the clinical and economic outcomes of resin-based versus alcohol-based 5% sodium fluoride varnishes in 84 high-risk schoolchildren aged 6–8 years.
The study found that caries incidence remained low and comparable after 24 months in both groups (resin-based: 7.4%; alcohol-based: 7.8%), with no significant differences in early or advanced lesions at any time point and negligible effect sizes in Intention-to-Treat (ITT) and per-protocol analyses (Cliff’s Delta ≤ 0.05). However, cost-effectiveness analysis demonstrated markedly greater economic benefit with the…
