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RCT Control Group — NDEB AFK MCQ

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EasyCommunity Dentistry & EpidemiologyRCT Control GroupNDEB AFK

In a randomised controlled trial evaluating a new fluoride varnish, the 'control group' receives which of the following?

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Correct answer: DNo treatment, a placebo, or the current standard treatment

In an RCT, the control group receives either no treatment, a placebo (an inert intervention that appears identical to the experimental treatment), or the current standard treatment (active comparator). The control group serves as the reference against which the experimental group's outcomes are compared. Randomisation ensures that known and unknown confounding variables are equally distributed between groups, allowing any observed differences in outcomes to be attributed to the intervention.

Reference: Sackett DL – Evidence-Based Medicine, 1996