Er overvåget tandbørstning et effektivt tiltag til cariesforebyggelse blandt børn?

English summary Is supervised toothbrushing an effective measure to prevent caries in children? Nor Tannlegeforen Tid. 2025; 135: 36-40. Toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste is a cornerstone in the prevention and management of dental caries. Toothbrushing habits have however a strong socio-economical gradient and therefore, school-based toothbrushing programs are thought to reduce inequalities in the burden of dental caries among preschool and schoolchildren. We searched four databases for relevant systematic reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs and included four papers with a low or moderate risk of bias, covering 16 primary trials, of which only three were from Europe. We found conflicting evidence to determine whether supervised toothbrushing as a standalone intervention can reduce the risk of caries incidence in primary dentition and low-certainty evidence indicating no caries-preventive benefits in the young permanent dentition. Yet, there are examples from high-income countries in Europe, and various developing countries elsewhere, that school-based toothbrushing programs may be cost-effective and reduce oral health inequalities among pre-school children. No harmful effects have been reported.