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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

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

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

Percentage of bleeding on probing (BOP) · Adults (general and hospital populations assessed in case-control studies)

No statistically significant difference in bleeding on probing between SSc patients and controls (SMD 1.05, CI includes 0); certainty ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Transillumination and optical coherence tomography devices (all illumination devices combined: NIR, OCT, and FOTI/DIFOTI) vs Reference standard (histology, excavation, radiographs/microCT, or tooth separation)

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…
1 finding from 1 review

Oral health knowledge, attitudes and practices assessment vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Mother self-reported oral health behaviours and attitudes · Mothers and caregivers of children in the United Arab Emirates

Mothers and caregivers often had adequate knowledge/attitudes but improper oral-health practices and low dental-service use, associated with education and occupation (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

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

Plaque · Children in the United Arab Emirates (Ajman, Sharjah)

Dental plaque levels were high and associated with frequent snacking and less frequent tooth brushing, and higher plaque was linked to more caries (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

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

Periodontitis (clinical attachment loss) · Adults (general and hospital populations assessed in case-control studies)

Attachment loss is significantly increased in systemic sclerosis patients (SMD 2.58) with very high heterogeneity; certainty ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

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

Patient outcomes: mean number of filled teeth per 0- to 15-year-old · Adults (general and hospital populations assessed in case-control studies)

No statistically significant difference in number of filled teeth between SSc patients and controls (SMD -0.12, CI includes 0); certainty ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Mouth self-examination (MSE) 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)

Sensitivity for detection of oral cavity cancer/OPMD · Apparently healthy adults not reporting symptoms of OPMD or OSCC, attending an organised screening or surveillance programme, or screened…
1 finding from 1 review

0-10 remaining teeth vs 25-32 remaining teeth

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD)-related events (morbidity and mortality) · Adults (any age) with a known number of remaining teeth, followed prospectively in cohort studies

In prospective cohorts, adults with 0-10 teeth had a higher cumulative incidence of ACVD-related events than adults with 25-32 teeth (RR 2.65, 95% CI 1.84 to 3.81; 4 cohort studies, I2=87%); GRADE per-analysis ratings reported in Supplementary File 7 (not available in provided sources).

1 finding from 1 review

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

S. mutans counts (5th-root transformed) · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment

A single study found no significant difference in S. mutans counts between aligners and fixed appliances in adolescents at 1 month (MD -2.22, 95% CI -6.82 to 2.38; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Hall technique vs Non-restorative cavity control (NRCC)

Failure of therapy · Children and/or adults with permanent or primary teeth, vital (sensitive) pulps, and cavitated or dentine carious lesions conventionally…

It is very uncertain whether hall Technique (sealing with a preformed metal crown) changes failure of therapy compared with non-restorative cavity control (NRCC) (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Xylitol-only sugar-free chewing gum vs Pooled controls: no gum, placebo/control gum, probiotic, or fluoride varnish

Streptococcus mutans load in the oral cavity (saliva and/or dental plaque) · Adults and children (general population)

Xylitol-only sugar-free gum significantly reduced Streptococcus mutans load versus pooled controls (SMD -0.46, 95% CI -0.64 to -0.28; 12 trials, I2 43%); certainty not formally graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Non-selective carious tissue removal and conventional restoration (CR) vs Non-restorative cavity control (NRCC)

Failure of therapy · Children and/or adults with permanent or primary teeth, vital (sensitive) pulps, and cavitated or dentine carious lesions conventionally…

It is very uncertain whether non-selective carious tissue removal and conventional restoration (CR) changes failure of therapy compared with non-restorative cavity control (NRCC) (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review