Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

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

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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Malocclusion vs Absence/lower severity of malocclusion

Oral health-related quality of life · Adolescents (10-19 years)

Malocclusion is associated with worse oral health-related quality of life in adolescents (narrative synthesis; no pooled estimate or GRADE rating).

1 finding from 1 review

Light-cured resin-modified glass ionomer cement vs Resin composite restoration

Secondary caries · Patients requiring dental restoration; deciduous (primary) teeth

In deciduous teeth at 1 year, a single small trial found no difference in secondary caries between RMGIC and resin composite (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.07-15.81; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Root carious dentin vs Coronal carious dentin

MMP-13 presence/activity · Human ex vivo carious dentin

MMP-13 may be increased in root compared with coronal carious dentin, but the evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Mutans streptococci present in oral samples at baseline vs Mutans streptococci absent in oral samples at baseline

Future caries experience (dmft/dmfs) · Children younger than 6 years with caries-free primary dentition (no cavitated or non-cavitated lesions at baseline)

Children with mutans streptococci at baseline had a greater future caries experience (SMD 0.85, a large effect; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Calcium hydroxide (CH) vs Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA)

Continued root formation / root development · Patients with carious pulp exposure in permanent teeth (predominantly immature) undergoing DPC or pulpotomy

Evidence on continued root formation for calcium hydroxide versus MTA is weak and inconclusive (3 RCTs, not pooled; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Carious dentin vs Sound dentin

Cathepsin B (CT-B) presence/activity · Human ex vivo carious dentin (mostly coronal), natural caries lesions

Cathepsin B may be increased in carious dentin compared with sound dentin, but the evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

38% SDF every 12 months vs water every 12 months

new carious lesions or fillings at fissure-site level · children with caries in permanent molars

SDF had a 52% preventative fraction at fissure-site level; no pooled estimate or GRADE rating was reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Multivariable caries prediction model vs Alternative prediction model(s) within the same study, or no formal comparator (models compared descriptively; no between-model statistical test)

Predictive performance for coronal caries increment (positive likelihood ratio, LR+) · Children and adolescents (aged 2-19) at risk of coronal caries increment (caries onset or progression)

Most externally validated coronal-caries models showed modest LR+ (<5); only Campus 2012 and Gao 2013 NUS-CRA reached the useful threshold; no pooled estimate; ungraded.

2 findings from 1 review
  • Multivariable prediction models of caries increment: a systematic review and critical appraisal. 2023 All outcomes
    Follow-up >=1 year (included studies 1-5 years) · Oral health care; children/adolescents; no geographical restriction · Model validation studies
    No meta-analysis. Per-model LR+ (Table 2) across the 9 validation studies (31 coronal models) ranged roughly 0.78-5.53 (e.g. Beck 1.62-3.00, Christian/CAMBRA 1.09-1.14, Gao 2013 CAT ~1.03 to NUS-CRA 5.31, Campus 5.53,…
    9 studies
    GRADE not reported
  • Multivariable prediction models of caries increment: a systematic review and critical appraisal. 2023 All outcomes
    Follow-up >=1 year (included studies 1-5 years) · Oral health care; children/adolescents; no geographical restriction (11 countries across all studies) · Model development studies
    No meta-analysis (heterogeneity precluded pooling); performance given per model as LR+ recalculated by the review authors (Table 2). Across the 8 development studies (23 coronal models) LR+ spanned roughly 1.31-10.26…
    8 studies
    GRADE not reported

Favorable family structure (being an only child; nuclear family) vs Having siblings / non-nuclear family structure

Oral health-related quality of life · Adolescents (10-19 years)

Being an only child and growing up in a nuclear family are 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 outcomes
    Community/school/clinic settings; adolescents 10-19 years; included reviews conducted in multiple countries
    Being an only child, growing up in your nuclear family or family structure, household conditions, and number of people per household and maternal age are predictors of better OHRQoL [43].
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) vs Calcium hydroxide (CH)

Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Patients with carious pulp exposure in permanent teeth with mixed root development

The effect of MTA versus CH in teeth with mixed root development is very uncertain (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

P11-4 + fluoride varnish vs Self-assembling peptide P11-4

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…

P11-4 plus fluoride varnish did not differ significantly from P11-4 alone (SMD -0.40, 95% CI -0.97 to 0.17; indirect evidence only); certainty of evidence not assessed (no GRADE).

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride varnish vs Placebo varnish, resin sealant, or standard care (oral hygiene instructions)

White spot lesion clinical score (mean values), subject level · Healthy adolescents and adults undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed multi-bracket appliances

In a pooled analysis of two placebo-controlled trials, fluoride varnish also reduced white spot lesion clinical scores (pooled SMD -0.44, 95% CI -0.64 to -0.24); this secondary outcome was not separately GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review