Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · People undergoing orthodontic treatment (any age; 9 to 34 years in included studies)
Chlorhexidine mouthwash reduced Plaque Index versus placebo, but certainty is very low.
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · Pregnant women considered to have periodontal disease (gingivitis or periodontitis) after dental examination
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP)
Plaque index does not differ significantly between unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate (MD -0.13, 95% CI -0.38 to 0.12; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Individuals assessed for periodontal health (mainly children and adolescents, age >2 years)
Persons with orofacial cleft have a higher plaque index than healthy controls (MD 0.29, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.34; low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · People undergoing orthodontic treatment (any age; 9 to 34 years in included studies)
Herbal mouthwash reduced some plaque-related indices versus placebo, with low-certainty evidence.
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Orthodontic patients (any age) undergoing orthodontic treatment (mostly fixed appliances)
CPC mouthwash may reduce plaque-related indexes versus blank control in the short term, but the evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · People undergoing orthodontic treatment (any age; 9 to 34 years in included studies)
Long-term fluoride mouthwash showed mixed plaque-index effects, with very low-certainty evidence.
2 findings from 1 review
PI was similar to blank control [37]; API was slightly reduced compared to blank control and significant at 6 and 9 months [59].
2 studies
Very low
TI was significantly reduced compared to baseline [34]; PI was significantly reduced compared to baseline but similar to blank control [46].
2 studies
Very low
Plaque · People undergoing orthodontic treatment (any age; 9 to 34 years in included studies)
Herbal mouthwash reduced several plaque-related indices, but certainty is very low.
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · People with diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2, mostly type 2) and periodontitis, at least 16 years of age
Periodontal treatment (subgingival instrumentation, with or without… led to lower plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene compared with no active intervention/usual care; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
SMD -2.05 [-2.57, -1.53]
18 studies
GRADE not reported
Plaque · Orthodontic patients undergoing comprehensive treatment (late mixed or permanent dentition, no active caries)
In randomized trials, clear aligners probably reduce plaque accumulation versus fixed appliances, though the subgroup estimate is imprecise and its CI crosses no effect (SMD -1.79, 95% CI -3.63 to 0.04; moderate certainty).
6 findings from 1 review
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Plaque · Orthodontic patients (any age) undergoing orthodontic treatment (mostly fixed appliances)
Chlorhexidine mouthwash may reduce the Plaque Index versus blank control in the short term (WMD -0.70, 95% CI -1.12 to -0.27), but the evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Adults and children (predominantly adults; one study in children), with natural dentition
Xylitol sugar-free gum significantly reduced plaque quantity versus no-gum/control (SMD -0.743, 95% CI -1.148 to -0.338), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 86.0%; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Adults and children (predominantly adults; one study in children), with natural dentition
Sugar-free chewing gum significantly reduced plaque quantity versus no-gum/control (SMD -0.778, 95% CI -1.167 to -0.390), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 86.6%) and no GRADE rating (ungraded).
2 findings from 1 review
Plaque · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate)
It is very uncertain whether interdental brushing plus toothbrushing changes plaque (Quigley & Hein plaque index, Turesky modification; scale 0… compared with toothbrushing alone (very low certainty).