What do systematic reviews say?

Female sex vs Male sex

Females had significantly higher odds of dental caries than males (OR 1.333, 95% CI 1.129 to 1.575); certainty not graded.

• Prevalence of Dental Caries and Associated Factors in East Africa, 2000-2020: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2021 All outcomes

  Community- and school-based populations, East Africa
  OR 1.333 [1.129, 1.575]
  12 studies · 5391 participants
  GRADE not reported

Edentulous (0 remaining teeth) vs 20-32 remaining teeth

In prospective cohorts, edentulous adults (0 teeth) had a higher cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality than adults with 20-32 teeth (RR 2.27, 95% CI 1.82 to 2.83; 8 cohort studies, I2=94%); GRADE per-analysis ratings reported in Supplementary File 7 (not available in provided sources).

• Lower Number of Teeth Is Related to Higher Risks for ACVD and Death-Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Survival… 2021 All outcomes

  Community-based and clinical cohorts worldwide (all continents); events ascertained from medical records, death certificates/registers, or self-report
  RR 2.27 [1.82, 2.83]
  8 studies · 180222 participants
  High

Systemic sclerosis (SSc / scleroderma) vs SSc-free individuals (controls)

No statistically significant difference in number of missing teeth between SSc patients and controls (SMD 0.55, CI includes 0); certainty ungraded.

• Oral manifestations of patients with systemic sclerosis: a meta-analysis for case-controlled studies. 2021 All outcomes

  Hospital/clinic-based case-control studies from Asia, America and Europe
  SMD 0.546 [-0.148, 1.241]
  4 studies
  GRADE not reported

Sealing using sealant materials vs Non-selective carious tissue removal and conventional restoration (CR)

• Interventions for treating cavitated or dentine carious lesions 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Non-cavitated lesions, primary dentition
  Lesion progression reported narratively: Borges 2012a found 3/26 sealed lesions progressed after 1 year (split-mouth); not pooled and not GRADE-rated.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Visual examination (VE) 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)

• Clinical assessment for the detection of oral cavity cancer and potentially malignant disorders in apparently healthy… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Summary of findings 1 (no pooled analysis): for the 7 low-prevalence studies specificity ranged from 0.94 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.97) to 0.99 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.00); for the 3 higher-prevalence studies specificity ranged from…
  10 studies · 25568 participants
  Low

Intervention not reported

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Non-Emirati children (Elamin)
  Mean(SD) 0.75 (1.8)
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Intervention not reported

• Prevalence of Dental Caries and Associated Factors in East Africa, 2000-2020: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2021 All outcomes

  Sensitivity analysis (leave-one-out minimum)
  Prevalence 0.447 [0.384, 0.510]
  43 studies
  GRADE not reported

Intervention not reported

• Dental caries and associated factors in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021 All outcomes

  Trim-and-fill adjusted (publication-bias correction)
  Prevalence 0.40984 [0.31623, 0.50344]
  13 studies
  GRADE not reported

Intervention not reported

• Prevalence of Dental Caries and Associated Factors in East Africa, 2000-2020: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2021 All outcomes

  Uganda
  Prevalence 0.498 [0.348, 0.648]
  8 studies
  GRADE not reported

Beta-thalassemia major vs Healthy Emirati children

Mean DMFT was 1.49 in children with beta-thalassemia major versus 0.21 in controls.

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Children with beta-thalassemia major
  MEAN 1.49
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Early childhood caries (ECC) vs Caries-free controls

Mean corpuscular volume was significantly lower in children with ECC than in caries-free children (mean difference -3.72, 95% CI -6.65 to -0.79); ungraded.

• Iron deficiency and early childhood caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021 All outcomes

  Overall
  WMD -3.72 [-6.65, -0.79]
  5 studies · 924 participants
  GRADE not reported

Direct composite resin restoration vs Amalgam restoration

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent posterior teeth 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  We did not find any eligible studies that evaluated allergic reaction or injury (no studies reported on outcomes of relevance to injury).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Dental visit because of a problem vs No dental visit in previous year

A problem-driven dental visit was associated with higher odds of severe early childhood caries.

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Overall
  OR 1.92 [1.49, 2.49]
  1 study · 1036 participants
  GRADE not reported

Intervention not reported

The intervention showed no clear difference in initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment; GRADE not reported.

• Efficacy of sealants and bonding materials during fixed orthodontic treatment to prevent enamel demineralization: a… 2021 All outcomes

  Sensitivity (coating with vs without fluoride release, excluding high risk-of-bias studies)
  RR 0.83 [0.67, 1.04]
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported

Urban residency vs Rural residency

Residency was not significantly associated with dental caries (OR 0.962, 95% CI 0.595 to 1.554); certainty not graded.

• Prevalence of Dental Caries and Associated Factors in East Africa, 2000-2020: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2021 All outcomes

  Community- and school-based populations, East Africa
  OR 0.962 [0.595, 1.554]
  6 studies · 2489 participants
  GRADE not reported

Intervention not reported

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Preschoolers (AlKhayat, Dubai private preschools)
  Prevalence 38.5%
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Caries experience vs No caries experience

Caries experience was associated with lower odds of dental erosion.

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Overall
  OR 0.28 [0.16, 0.51]
  1 study · 403 participants
  GRADE not reported

Observed population vs Not applicable

Relatives were the reported source of dental information for 27% of mothers.

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Overall
  Prevalence 27
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Observed population vs Not applicable

Mean dmft was 3.07.

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Overall
  MEAN 3.07 [2.81, 3.34]
  1 study · 540 participants
  GRADE not reported

Hall technique vs Non-restorative cavity control (NRCC)

• Interventions for treating cavitated or dentine carious lesions 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Primary dentition
  Cost-effectiveness reported narratively: HT found more cost-effective than NRCC in primary teeth (Santamaria 2018); not GRADE-rated.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported