Dental cavity liner (e.g. calcium hydroxide, glass ionomer, resin-modified glass ionomer, or flowable composite) placed under the restoration vs No cavity liner or a different liner material: Postoperative hypersensitivity (POH), patient-reported (VAS score)
- Population
- Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible pulpitis
- Intervention
- Dental cavity liner (e.g. calcium hydroxide, glass ionomer, resin-modified glass ionomer, or flowable composite) placed under the restoration
- Comparison
- No cavity liner or a different liner material
- Outcome
- Postoperative hypersensitivity (POH), patient-reported (VAS score)
The evidence is very uncertain whether cavity liners reduce postoperative hypersensitivity; no significant difference was found overall (very low certainty).
What each review found
Include earlier review versions| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Cavity liner (calcium hydroxide, glass-ionomer cement, resin-modified calcium silicate/TheraCal LC, hydraulic calcium silicate/MTA or Biodentine, flowable composite, or other liner material) vs No cavity liner or a different liner material Postoperative hypersensitivity · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible… · 7 days to 3 months, Dental clinical settings (multiple countries) The evidence is very uncertain whether cavity liners reduce postoperative hypersensitivity; no significant difference was found overall (very low certainty). Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent… (2025) All outcomes | No significant difference; minimal pain reported | 9 studies · 1000 participants | Very low |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent teeth - a systematic review. 2025 All outcomes | 30 August-30 October 2023; update 1 December 2024-1 February 2025 | 12 | Moderate / Moderate |
Related questions
The same intervention and outcome, asked in another population or against another comparator.
- Dental cavity liner (e.g. calcium hydroxide, glass ionomer, resin-modified glass ionomer, or flowable composite) placed under the restoration vs No liner (resin-based composite bonded directly to the tooth) · Adults or children with a Class I or Class II resin-based composite restoration in a… · 1 review
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.