Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

1,218 questions · 1,325 findings · 34 reviews · Oral medicine and oral cancer

No studies found 164 · 12.4%GRADE not reported 841 · 63.5%Very low 209 · 15.8%Low 72 · 5.4%Moderate 38 · 2.9%High 1 · 0.1%

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Conventional orthodontic appliance treatment

Salivary caries-associated bacteria (S. mutans and Lactobacilli, subjects with >10^5 CFU/mL) · Orthodontic patients undergoing comprehensive treatment (late mixed or permanent dentition, no active caries)

Both included studies reported higher salivary caries-associated bacteria (S. mutans and Lactobacilli) with fixed appliances than clear aligners; not meta-analyzed (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Sentinel node biopsy (neck dissection only if biopsy positive) vs Elective neck dissection

Total mortality · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer

Sentinel node biopsy (neck dissection only if biopsy positive) showed no clear difference in total mortality compared with elective neck dissection (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Daily chewing gum for 2 weeks or longer vs No gum chewing or control

Salivary flow rate (unstimulated) · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth

codex

1 finding from 1 review

Supraomohyoid neck dissection vs Modified radical neck dissection

Adverse events associated with treatment · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer
1 finding from 1 review

PET-CT following chemoradiotherapy (neck dissection only if no/incomplete response) vs Planned neck dissection before or after chemoradiotherapy

Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer with nodal disease (stage N2 or N3)

PET-CT following chemoradiotherapy (neck dissection only if… showed no clear difference in locoregional recurrence compared with planned neck dissection before or after chemoradiotherapy (moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Elective neck dissection (at time of primary tumour resection) vs Therapeutic (delayed) neck dissection

Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes

Elective neck dissection (at time of primary tumour resection) probably leads to lower locoregional recurrence compared with therapeutic (delayed) neck dissection (moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Elective radical (comprehensive) neck dissection vs Elective selective neck dissection

Recurrence · Adults with oral cavity cancer

It is very uncertain whether elective radical (comprehensive) neck dissection changes recurrence compared with elective selective neck dissection (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Gum chewing (sugar-free) vs No chewing gum

Salivary flow rate (unstimulated) · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth

In elderly and medically compromised people with xerostomia, chewing sugar-free gum daily for two or more weeks produces a small but statistically significant increase in unstimulated whole salivary flow rate versus no gum (SMD 0.44, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.66); certainty of evidence was not formally graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Elective neck dissection (at time of primary tumour resection) vs Therapeutic (delayed) neck dissection

Mortality (overall survival) · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes

Elective neck dissection (at time of primary tumour resection) probably leads to lower mortality (overall survival) compared with therapeutic (delayed) neck dissection (moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Sentinel node biopsy (neck dissection only if biopsy positive) vs Elective neck dissection

Disease-free survival · Adults with oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer

Sentinel node biopsy (neck dissection only if biopsy positive) showed no clear difference in disease-free survival (new disease, progression, and mortality) compared with elective neck dissection (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Gum chewing (sugar-free) vs No chewing gum

Dry mouth (xerostomia) · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth

Gum chewing was linked with improved self-reported xerostomia / dry mouth in most studies (12 of 17 positive, 5 no effect); heterogeneous instruments precluded meta-analysis.

1 finding from 1 review

Superselective neck dissection vs Elective selective neck dissection

Locoregional recurrence · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes
1 finding from 1 review

Elective neck dissection (at time of primary tumour resection) vs Therapeutic (delayed) neck dissection

Disease-free survival · Adults with oral cavity cancer (tongue or floor of mouth) and clinically negative neck nodes

Elective neck dissection (at time of primary tumour resection) probably leads to lower disease-free survival (new disease, progression, and mortality) compared with therapeutic (delayed) neck dissection (moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review