Effect of Fluoride Varnish in Caries Reduction among Children and Adolescents: A Review

Caries is one of the major ailments faced globally due to increased consumption of refined carbohydrates, despite health education measures taken to curb the initiation and progression of caries in both children and adolescents. Its origin is multifactorial and continues to be a burden in spite of major advances in prevention and management techniques. Many preventive measures have been suggested and used in different ways to arrest the progression or prevention of caries. Numerous fluoride compounds with varying concentrations and duration of application have been used over time. The present article is focused on the review of the Medline archived literature to assess and understand the effect of fluoride varnish in caries prevention among children and adolescents in the United states. Many of the published studies examined the effects of different fluoride products on caries prevention. The authors reviewed the exclusive literature of fluoride varnish in the reduction of caries in children and adolescents. The review also critically analyses the existing publications for the robustness of evidence and briefly discusses established guidelines used for the prevention of caries.