Stunting · Children aged ≤6 years (early childhood)
One Nepalese cross-sectional study found caries severity significantly correlated with chronic malnutrition/stunting (HAZ; p<0.0001), especially in rural children; ungraded, no effect size reported.
2 findings from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · Indian children aged 3-5 years
In children aged 3-5 years, early childhood caries was significantly associated with poorer OHRQoL (narrative; 3 studies); ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Remineralization / reduction in lesion severity (change in QLF, laser fluorescence, or lesion area) · Patients with white spot lesions / early caries lesions (WSLs/ECLs), including orthodontic and non-orthodontic lesions, active caries…
Fluoride varnish did not differ significantly from CPP-ACP (SMD -0.07, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.29); certainty of evidence not assessed (no GRADE).
1 finding from 1 review
CA VI concentration · Individuals assessed for dental caries (mainly children aged 2-9 years; one study in adults aged 18-24 years)
Salivary CA VI concentration is significantly lower in individuals with dental caries than in caries-free individuals (SMD -0.672, 95% CI -1.011 to -0.332; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Cariogenic bacteria (Lactobacilli colony count) · Orthodontic patients (any age) undergoing orthodontic treatment (mostly fixed appliances)
Long-term (>=12 months) fluoride mouthwash may make little or no difference to Lactobacilli colony counts versus blank control (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oral cavity cancer
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Oral mucosal moisture · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
One small study found that chewing hard (but not soft) gum increased oral mucosal moisture.
1 finding from 1 review
Caries prevention (preventive fraction, SDF vs GIC+5% fluoride varnish) · intellectually disabled individuals with caries in permanent posterior teeth
SDF had a 45% preventative fraction versus glass ionomer cement plus fluoride varnish; no pooled estimate or GRADE rating was reported.
1 finding from 1 review
CA VI activity · Individuals assessed for dental caries (cases with caries/high caries vs. caries-free or low/very-low-caries controls)
CA VI activity was higher in participants with caries (SMD 0.87, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.36; 7 studies, 411 participants); GRADE was not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
new root-surface carious lesions or restorations · community-dwelling older adults with root caries
SDF plus oral health education had a 33% preventative fraction at 24 months; no pooled estimate or GRADE rating was reported.
1 finding from 1 review
MMP-2 location/presence · Human carious dentin
No effect direction was found for MMP-2 by lesion depth or location (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
4 studies
Very low
Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oropharyngeal cancer
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
MMP-9 expression/activity · Human carious dentin
No difference in MMP-9 expression/activity was found before versus after cavity sealing (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Recurrence · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Stability: Little's Irregularity Index (upper arch) · People who had received fixed appliance orthodontic treatment
Upper fixed (bonded) retainer led to lower stability: Little's Irregularity Index (upper arch) compared with no retention; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Prevalence of white spot lesions (WSL) at debonding, subject level · Healthy adolescents and adults undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed multi-bracket appliances
Fluoride varnish applied regularly during fixed orthodontic treatment may reduce the prevalence of white spot lesions at debonding (pooled RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.98), but the certainty of evidence is very low.
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · Adolescents (10-19 years)
Higher family income / better socioeconomic status is associated with better OHRQoL in adolescents (narrative synthesis; no pooled estimate or GRADE rating).
1 finding from 1 review
Oral-health-related quality of life in adolescents: umbrella review. 2023 All outcomesCommunity/school/clinic settings; adolescents 10-19 years; included reviews conducted in multiple countries
Adolescents from families with higher incomes and higher levels of maternal education have better OHRQoL scores [34]. Worse oral health status, older age, female sex and worse socioeconomic status were significantly…
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Overall treatment time wearing orthodontic appliances · Adolescents and adults with malocclusion undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance treatment
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · Adolescents (10-19 years)
Completing orthodontic treatment is associated with improved OHRQoL in adolescents (narrative synthesis; included reviews report low-to-moderate certainty; no pooled estimate or GRADE rating by the umbrella review).
1 finding from 1 review
Oral-health-related quality of life in adolescents: umbrella review. 2023 All outcomesCommunity/school/clinic settings; adolescents 10-19 years; included reviews conducted in multiple countries
Adolescents who had never received orthodontic treatment had a greater impact on quality of life compared to patients who had already completed treatment [34, 40, 44-46]. Orthodontic treatment during childhood or…
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Oral health-related quality of life · Indian elderly and general-population adults
Prosthetic need was significantly associated with poorer OHRQoL in both included studies (moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Prosthetic need vs none: both included studies showed a significant association with poor QoL (Nagarajappa 2015, Shivakumar 2018); 950 participants, 2 observational studies; Moderate certainty (Fig 1 GRADE SoF). No…
2 studies · 950 participants
Moderate