TNF-α level · Children and young adults (3-25 years)
Salivary TNF-α levels are significantly higher in children and young adults with active dental caries than in caries-free or mild-caries controls (SMD 14.81 pg/mL, 95% CI 4.76 to 24.86; 7 studies); ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Preschool children ≤6 years, North America
In North America, 25(OH)D 50–75 nmol/l (vs ≥75) was associated with higher odds of ECC (OR 2.09; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Permanent teeth with carious pulp exposure
MTA and calcium-enriched mixture had comparable pulpotomy success (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Bacterial adhesion or initial colonization · Streptococcus mutans (in vitro cultures and biofilms)
No meta-analysis was conducted; three included studies reported reduced adhesion or initial colonization with cranberry extract or fractions.
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Caries experience (mean DMFT) · Brazilian children/adolescents in permanent dentition (BMI classified by CDC 2000 growth charts)
Normal-weight adolescents may have higher caries experience (DMFT) than obese peers in the permanent dentition, but the evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Bacterial adhesion (inhibition) · Streptococcus mutans (in vitro cultures and biofilms)
Cranberry extract inhibits S. mutans adhesion / initial colonization in vitro (3 studies; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
High salivary S. mutans (over 10^4 CFU/ml) · adults
Salivary S. mutans showed a non-significant declining trend with periodontitis (OR 0.82).
1 finding from 1 review
OR 0.82 [0.44, 1.51]
2 studies
GRADE not reported
Intervention not reported
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success)
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health practices · Adult residents of slums and non-slum urban settings of LMICs
Toothbrush and toothpaste use was common, but lower in disadvantaged or slum populations where compared.
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
11 studies
GRADE not reported
High salivary S. mutans (over 10^4 CFU/ml) · Periodontitis patients
High-level S. mutans did not change significantly after periodontal therapy (OR 1.54).
1 finding from 1 review
Fluorosis (percentage prevalence in permanent teeth) · Children exposed to topical fluoride when under 6 years old; fluorosis assessed in permanent teeth at 6 to 18 years
Fluoride toothpaste 440 ppm (lower concentration) probably leads to lower fluorosis (percentage prevalence in permanent teeth) compared with fluoride toothpaste 1450 ppm (higher concentration) (moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Dental pain or sensitivity · Children and adults (with or without carious lesions)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Child microbiological presence (mutans streptococci acquisition) · For interventions, pregnant women and mothers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes, children up to 6 years of age
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Preschool children ≤6 years, Asia and Europe
In Asia and Europe, 25(OH)D 50–75 nmol/l (vs ≥75) was associated with higher odds of ECC (OR 1.32; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Dental caries prevalence · Brazilian children/adolescents (BMI classified by WHO 2007 percentile)
The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of overweight/obesity on caries odds (WHO 2007 percentile; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Moderate gingival inflammation / gingival health · Persons with disabilities (children and adults with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, or multiple disabilities)…
Gingival inflammation is common among persons with disabilities in Saudi Arabia (moderate-to-severe up to about 60%), reported narratively without a pooled comparative estimate (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Fluoride ion release
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
1 study
GRADE not reported
Enamel demineralization (QLF ΔF) · Orthodontic patients of any age with fixed braces (new DLs assessed at debond)
Flash-free brackets showed no clinical WSL reduction, with certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Spontaneous space closure
The intervention led to higher spontaneous space closure; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
OR 8.0
1 study
GRADE not reported
Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Probiotics may make little to no difference to the bacterial plaque index versus control (MD 0.21, 95%CI -0.55 to 0.96; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review