Key Words

dine varnish. One trial of the effect of chlorhexidine varnish in primary teeth demonstrated a statistically significant re-duction in caries increment. The results of 1 trial comparing chlorhexidine varnish with fluoride varnish for preventing caries in adolescents were equivocal. Conclusion: Evidence regarding the effectiveness of chlorhexidine varnish for pre-venting caries is inconclusive. Further well-conducted ran-domised trials are required before chlorhexidine varnish can be recommended for caries prevention. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel Although the prevalence and severity of dental caries has declined in many developed countries in recent de-cades, the disease is still a major public health problem in industrialised countries and is an emerging public health problem in developing countries, as a consequence of in-creased consumption of sugars, inadequate exposure to fluoride and limited access to dental care [Petersen, 2003]. There is a large body of evidence to support the use of topical fluorides (varnish, gel, toothpaste, mouthrinse) [Marinho et al., 2002a; Marinho et al., 2002b; Marinho et al., 2003a; Marinho et al., 2003b] and fissure sealants [Mejàre et al., 2003; Ahovuo-Saloranta et al., 2008] for caries prevention. Mutans streptococci (MS) have been shown to play a major role in the initiation of the carie