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Each row is one question a systematic review asked: who, what, compared with what, and which outcome, with the effect it found and how certain that is. Words match anywhere in the field.
19 questions in 5 reviews · intervention: Diet/sugar · outcome domain: Caries increment (DMFS/DMFT)
current versionsNo studies 3 · 15.8%Ungraded 10 · 52.6%Very low 1 · 5.3%Low 5 · 26.3%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Intervention categories, outcome domains and clusters are a proposed key pending human validation. Clear all filters
| Question | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Dietary advice on how to achieve a healthy diet for infants (tailored advice focused on a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol intake) vs Standard care dmfs index score · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes,… Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | dmfs was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (not reported for this comparison). | 0 studies | No studies |
Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and sugar avoidance) and feeding practices (e.g. relating to bottle-feeding and sleep) for infants and young children vs Standard care dmfs index score (decayed, missing, filled primary surfaces; range 0-80) · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes,… · Children assessed at 1-3 yrs Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | MD -0.29 [-0.58, 0] | 2 studies · 757 participants | Low |
Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs Standard care dmfs index score · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes,… · Children assessed at 3 yrs Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | MD -0.87 [-2.18, 0.43] | 2 studies · 657 participants | Low |
High-frequency sugar consumption (three or more times daily) vs Low sugar intake (fewer than three times daily) Dental caries experience in primary dentition (early childhood caries) · Nigerian children with primary dentition (approximately 6 months to 5 years) · Primary dentition A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between sugar intake and dental caries in Nigeria. (2024) | OR 1.13 [0.23, 5.44] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Breastfeeding promotion and support (e.g. individually tailored home-based peer counselling on the importance of breastfeeding, with advice and support for healthy breastfeeding) vs Standard care dmfs index score · For interventions, pregnant and lactating women; for outcomes, children up to 6 years of age Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | dmfs was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (not reported for this comparison). | 0 studies | No studies |
Dietary advice on how to achieve a healthy diet for infants (tailored advice focused on a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol intake) vs Standard care dmft index score · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes,… Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | dmft was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (not reported for this comparison). | 0 studies | No studies |
Breastfeeding promotion and support (e.g. individually tailored home-based peer counselling on the importance of breastfeeding, with advice and support for healthy breastfeeding) vs Standard care dmft index score · For interventions, pregnant and lactating women; for outcomes, children up to 6 years of age · Children assessed at 5-6 yrs Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | MD -0.12 [-0.59, 0.36] | 2 studies · 652 participants | Low |
Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and sugar avoidance) and feeding practices (e.g. relating to bottle-feeding and sleep) for infants and young children vs Standard care dmft index score (decayed, missing, filled primary teeth; range 0-20) · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes,… · Children assessed at 4 yrs Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | MD -0.90 [-1.85, 0.05] | 1 study · 340 participants | Very low |
High-frequency sugar consumption (three or more times daily) vs Low sugar intake (fewer than three times daily) Dental caries experience in permanent dentition · Nigerian individuals with permanent dentition (approximately 12 years and older) · Permanent dentition A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between sugar intake and dental caries in Nigeria. (2024) | OR 1.15 [0.88, 1.52] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs Standard care dmft index score · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes,… · Children assessed at 6 yrs Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood… (2024) · Cochrane | MD -0.30 [-0.96, 0.36] | 1 study · 187 participants | Low |
High-frequency sugar consumption (three or more times daily) vs Low sugar intake (fewer than three times daily) Dental caries experience (prevalence) · Nigerian individuals, including children and adults, with primary or permanent dentition · Overall (all dentitions pooled) A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between sugar intake and dental caries in Nigeria. (2024) | OR 1.18 [0.87, 1.59] | 7 studies | Ungraded |
Vegetarian diet (any diet excluding all meat, poultry and fish) vs Nonvegetarian diet Number of natural teeth (missing/present teeth, edentulousness, MT component of DMFT) · General population (children and adults) assessed for dental hard-tissue health Vegetarian diet and its possible influence on dental health: A systematic literature review. (2020) | Seven studies reported on the number of teeth with conflicting findings; meta-analysis was not possible due to inconsistent outcome definitions. One study found vegetarians had significantly more teeth; two found no… | 7 studies | Ungraded |
Vegetarian diet (any diet excluding all meat, poultry and fish) vs Nonvegetarian diet Dental caries (mean DMFT score) · General population (children and adults) assessed for dental hard-tissue health · Adults only Vegetarian diet and its possible influence on dental health: A systematic literature review. (2020) | MD -0.09 [-0.32, 0.13] | 3 studies | Ungraded |
Vegetarian diet (any diet excluding all meat, poultry and fish) vs Nonvegetarian diet Dental caries measures other than pooled DMFT (DMFS, decayed/filled surfaces and teeth, root caries, nonvisible lesions, white spots) · General population (children and adults) assessed for dental hard-tissue health Vegetarian diet and its possible influence on dental health: A systematic literature review. (2020) | Eleven studies reported dental caries using 11 definitions; four (DMFT) were meta-analysed (see O2). Narrative findings were inconsistent: DMFS results were mixed; decayed surfaces and decayed teeth and percentages of… | NR | Ungraded |
Vegetarian diet (any diet excluding all meat, poultry and fish) vs Nonvegetarian diet Dental caries (mean DMFT score) · General population (children and adults) assessed for dental hard-tissue health Vegetarian diet and its possible influence on dental health: A systematic literature review. (2020) | MD -0.15 [-0.29, -0.02] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Primary school-based behavioural intervention (both oral hygiene and dietary components) vs No intervention or delayed intervention (non-intervention control; one trial's control received dental treatment plus an annual supervised toothbrushing session) Caries increment on tooth surfaces (dmfs/DMFS) (prevented fraction) · Children aged 4 to 12 years attending primary school · 15 months Primary school‐based behavioural interventions for preventing caries (2013) · Cochrane | PF 0.65 [0.12, 1.18] | 1 study · 60 participants | Low |
Primary school-based behavioural intervention (both oral hygiene and dietary components) vs No intervention or delayed intervention (non-intervention control; one trial's control received dental treatment plus an annual supervised toothbrushing session) Caries increment measured by the difference in decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) · Children aged 4 to 12 years attending primary school · 2 years Primary school‐based behavioural interventions for preventing caries (2013) · Cochrane | PF 0.49 | 1 study | Ungraded |
Individually designed, patient-centred preventive programme: dietary counselling (snacking timing, regular meals, fermentable carbohydrates) plus toothbrushing counselling, delivered by trained dental hygienists (a multi-intervention) vs Basic prevention offered as standard in public dental clinics Dental caries increment: DMFS increment after 4 years · Children aged 11 to 12 years with at least one active initial caries lesion, screened in a town in Finland · 4 years One‐to‐one dietary interventions undertaken in a dental setting to change dietary behaviour (2012) · Cochrane | Mean (95% CI) DMFS increment after 4 years: intervention 2.56 (2.07 to 3.05) versus control 4.60 (3.99 to 5.21); significant difference favouring the intervention (P<0.0001; non-overlapping CIs). No between-group point… | 1 study · 497 participants | Ungraded |
Individually designed, patient-centred preventive programme: dietary counselling (snacking timing, regular meals, fermentable carbohydrates) plus toothbrushing counselling, delivered by trained dental hygienists (a multi-intervention) vs Basic prevention offered as standard in public dental clinics Dental caries increment: DMFS increment after 2 years · Children aged 11 to 12 years with at least one active initial caries lesion, screened in a town in Finland · 2 years One‐to‐one dietary interventions undertaken in a dental setting to change dietary behaviour (2012) · Cochrane | Mean (95% CI) DMFS increment after 2 years: intervention 1.86 (1.50 to 2.21) versus control 2.44 (2.12 to 2.77); significant difference favouring the intervention (P<0.05, comparing intervention and control). No… | 1 study · 497 participants | Ungraded |