Is there an acceptable surrogate for caries clinical trials? Evidence from a systematic review of primary studies.

Background: There is currently a lack of evidence supporting the use of valid surrogates in caries clinical trials. This study aimed at examining the validity of two surrogate outcomes used in randomized clinical trials for caries prevention, pit and fissure sealants and fluoridated dentifrices, according to the Prentice criteria.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), LILACS and Scopus databases up to 05 October 2022.