OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to establish the effect of a non-operative caries treatment programme (the Nexø method) in a general dental practice on dental caries, oral hygiene and self-reported motivational factors for a 6-year period. METHODS: A randomized clinical controlled trial study on caries-preventive measures in 6- to 12-year-old children was performed among 3 groups of children: (i) care as usual (dental check-ups twice a year, accompanied by a professional fluoride application and the placement of occlusal sealants on a routine basis) (CONTROL); (ii) care as usual plus 2 extra professional fluoride applications (IPFA); or (iii) a non-operative caries treatment programme based on the Nexø method in which recall interval and caries-preventive measures were individualized based on caries activity, eruption stage and motivation of the parent (NOCTP). RESULTS: A total of 106 12-year-old children of the initial 230 6-year-olds completed the full-length study. Children in the NOCTP group developed 0.67 decayed, missing or filled surfaces (DMFS). This value was 0.86 in the IPFA group and 1.02 in control group. The level of oral hygiene was most favourable in the NOCTP group (OHI-s score 0.61 vs 0.87 [IPFA] and 0.70 [control]). Differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Children who followed the NOCTP programme in this general dental practice did not develop significantly fewer new caries lesions compared with children in the IPFA group or the control group after 6 years. However, the differences identified after the first 3 years of the trial remained apparent