This review aims to understand the effectiveness and/or economic benefit of non-dental health professionals providing fluoride varnish for the management of dental caries.
Methods
The population included all ages, countries and settings. Included studies were published between January 2000 and October 2024. Risk of study bias was conducted using the JBI Critical Appraisal Tools. Outcomes were reported following the narrative synthesis in systematic reviews framework.
Results
After screening 555 unique records, 16 papers met the study selection criteria. The majority of studies were from the United States (n = 15; 94%) and targeted children under 6 years old (n = 15; 94%). Most studies were rated as higher quality studies (n = 13; 81%). Most studies (n = 9/13) reported positive effects on dental caries related outcomes. Six studies reported positive effects on changing oral health behaviour. Three economic evaluation studies reported fluoride varnish interventions were more costly and more effective compared to ‘no intervention’, while cost-effectiveness was uncertain.
Conclusions
Fluoride varnish interventions provided by non-dental health professionals are effective, but whether they are cost-effective remains unclear. Trained non-dental professionals applying fluoride varnish can play a critical role in dental caries prevention.
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