Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

3,323 questions · 5,762 findings · 263 reviews · Dental caries

No studies found 321 · 5.6%GRADE not reported 4,450 · 77.2%Very low 455 · 7.9%Low 297 · 5.2%Moderate 200 · 3.5%High 39 · 0.7%

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Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) vs Digital radiographs (direct within-person / paired comparison); reference standard: histology

Specificity for detection and diagnosis of early (enamel) caries · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
2 findings from 1 review

Intervention not reported

Dental caries prevalence · General population in Ethiopia (all ages, age range 6-100 years)

The pooled prevalence of dental caries in Ethiopia (2000-2020) was 40.98% (95% CI 31.62 to 50.34), with very high heterogeneity (I2=98.6%); certainty not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Electrical conductance devices (electronic caries monitor (ECM) and/or CarieScan Pro), used as an adjunct to clinical oral examination vs Reference standard: histology or enhanced visual examination (with or without radiographs)

Outcome not reported · Teeth with previously applied restorations (secondary caries) or pit and fissure sealants; target condition = non-cavitated enamel caries.

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review
  • Electrical conductance for the detection of dental caries 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
    Up to 3 months between index test and reference standard (in vivo studies)
    No eligible studies. 'No included studies reported inclusion criteria of previously applied restorations or pit and fissure sealants' (a planned subgroup).
    0 studies
    No studies found

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

Gingival inflammation-related index · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment

A single study reported lower simplified gingival index with aligners versus fixed appliances in adolescents at 1 month (MD -8.46, 95% CI -10.47 to -6.45; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Visual examination (VE) vs Direct visual examination after tooth separation or bioptical cavity preparation

Diagnostic accuracy for proximal caries detection (dentin detection level) · Patients with permanent posterior teeth, proximal surfaces assessed clinically (in vivo)

Under in vivo conditions, visual examination had a pooled specificity of 0.76 (95% CI 0.11, 0.99) for proximal caries detection at the dentin detection level; ungraded.

4 findings from 1 review
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Poor / no tooth brushing habit vs Good tooth brushing habit

Dental caries · Individuals in East Africa assessed for dental caries

Poor tooth brushing was associated with significantly higher odds of dental caries (OR 1.967, 95% CI 1.205 to 3.211); certainty not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Lower parental (maternal/paternal) education vs Higher parental education

Dental caries · Healthy children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates

The association between parental education and caries was inconsistent; father's (but not consistently mother's) education was inversely associated with caries in some studies (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Leukemia (oral health status) vs None (descriptive; compared by treatment location)

Oral health problems (mucositis, caries, candidiasis) · Children with leukemia in the United Arab Emirates

One study found oral problems in 60% of children with leukemia, most common during maintenance therapy and among those treated locally (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Fluorescence-based devices vs Visual classification

Difference in specificity · Asymptomatic children or adults suspected of enamel caries (clinical studies); extracted teeth (in vitro studies)

Fluorescence and visual classification had similar specificity in the fully within-person analysis.

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride concentration relative to the acceptable range (electrometric ion-selective electrode measurement; acceptable range mostly 0.6-0.8 ppmF) vs None (descriptive proportion meta-analysis)

Water samples with fluoride concentration above the acceptable range · Artificially fluoridated public water supply in Brazilian cities (water samples under external control)

In the Southeast Brazilian region, a pooled 11.5% of water samples had fluoride above the acceptable range; ungraded.

2 findings from 1 review

COE with light-based detection (e.g. ViziLite Plus, Microlux/DL, VELscope, Identafi 3000) vs Reference standard: examination and clinical evaluation by a physician/clinician with specialist knowledge or training (long-term follow-up accepted for those screened negative)

Outcome not reported · Apparently healthy adults not reporting symptoms of OPMD or OSCC, attending an organised screening or surveillance programme, or screened…

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental fluorosis assessment vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Dental fluorosis prevalence · School-aged children in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai)

One study reported dental fluorosis in 10.9% of school-aged children in Dubai, mostly very mild or mild (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Rubber dam vs Isolite system

Costs: operation/chair time · Dental patients undergoing direct or indirect restorative treatment (no age or gender restriction)

It is very uncertain whether rubber dam isolation changes costs: operation/chair time compared with isolite system (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) vs Digital radiographs (direct within-person / paired comparison); reference standard: histology

Sensitivity for detection and diagnosis of early (enamel) caries · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
2 findings from 1 review

Compomer (polyacid-modified composite, fluoride-releasing) for bonding brackets vs Compomer bonding agent without fluoride release

Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment · Patients of any age (11-40 years) receiving comprehensive/fixed orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances

For compomer-based bonding agents, fluoride release did not significantly change WSL initiation (RR 0.71); subgroup not separately GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review