evidencegaps
Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

Refine by population, intervention, comparison or outcome
More filters
Evidence found and GRADE certainty

158 questions · 174 findings · 25 reviews · All outcomes

Sort:Best matchNewestHighest certaintyDownload CSV
No studies found 65 · 37.4%GRADE not reported 86 · 49.4%Very low 7 · 4%Low 14 · 8%Moderate 2 · 1.1%High 0 · 0%

Non-surgical interventions vs Surgical interventions

Outcome not reported · People with at least one dental implant affected by peri-implantitis

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Oral hygiene interventions (mechanical plaque removal): knowledge-based, behavioural, or skills training for people with ID or their carers vs Usual care, no care, or a similar alternative intervention

Any unintended (positive or negative) effects of the interventions · People with intellectual disabilities (ID), living at home, in day care, in hospital or in a residential care setting; all levels of ID as…
1 finding from 1 review
  • Oral hygiene interventions for people with intellectual disabilities 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes
    Adverse/unintended effects addressed narratively: 10 of 34 studies investigated or reported negative unintended or adverse effects (e.g. difficulty with the electric or 3-headed toothbrushes, being frightened by the…
    10 studies
    GRADE not reported

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Non-digital gamified oral health interventions (card/board games, storytelling, printed aids)

Long-term behavior change and overall oral health outcomes · Children or adolescents

Digital gamified interventions appear more effective than non-digital alternatives for long-term behavior change and oral health outcomes, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Long-term follow-up (sustained behavior change) · Schools, dental clinics, and mobile-app user-testing environments
    Digital-based interventions were more effective in fostering long-term behavior change compared with nondigital alternatives and consistently outperformed nondigital alternatives in improving oral health outcomes;…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Conventional or traditional oral health education, or non-gamified interventions (comparator varied; several studies were single-arm/uncontrolled)

Adherence to oral hygiene routines by people with ID or their carers · Children or adolescents

Gamified interventions appear to increase children's engagement and adherence to oral hygiene routines, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Post-intervention (predominantly short-term; long-term follow-up in a minority of studies) · School-based settings, specialized dental clinics, and home-based environments
    The regular use rate was significantly higher (72.4%) in the gamified mobile health app group than in the nongamified intervention group (48.3%) [Zolfaghari 2021]; quiz-based challenges in mobile apps encouraged higher…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Conventional or traditional oral health education, or non-gamified interventions (comparator varied; several studies were single-arm/uncontrolled)

Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · Children or adolescents

Gamified interventions appear to improve plaque control and oral hygiene status in children versus conventional methods, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded (individual-study P values only).

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Post-intervention (predominantly short-term; long-term follow-up in a minority of studies) · School-based settings, specialized dental clinics, and home-based environments
    In the gamified mobile health app group, plaque control was superior (P<.05) compared with the conventional method group [Zolfaghari 2021]; a gamified/reminder sticker-book group showed a significant improvement in…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Conventional or traditional oral health education, or non-gamified interventions (comparator varied; several studies were single-arm/uncontrolled)

Oral health knowledge (1-9 scale) · Children or adolescents

Gamified interventions appear to improve children's oral health knowledge compared with conventional education, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Post-intervention (predominantly short-term; long-term follow-up in a minority of studies) · School-based settings, specialized dental clinics, and home-based environments
    The effectiveness of digital-based interventions was generally positive, with 38% (9/24) of the experimental studies reporting improvements in oral health knowledge and behaviors; game-based teaching significantly…
    9 studies
    GRADE not reported

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Conventional or traditional oral health education, or non-gamified interventions (comparator varied; several studies were single-arm/uncontrolled)

Oral hygiene behavior (brushing habits, preventive dental visits, dietary choices) · Children or adolescents

Gamified interventions appear to improve oral hygiene behaviors (brushing habits, preventive dental visits) in children, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Post-intervention (predominantly short-term; long-term follow-up in a minority of studies) · School-based settings, specialized dental clinics, and home-based environments
    A gesture-based motion-capture game enhanced brushing independence and skill retention (P<.001) [Kang 2021]; 58.8% of caregivers reported their children brushed more often when using gamified applications [France…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Psychological interventions (positive and negative reinforcement) vs no treatment

Sucking cessation (long term) · Children with a non-nutritive sucking habit (digit or pacifier)

Psychological interventions (positive and negative reinforcement) led to higher sucking cessation (long term) compared with no treatment; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Topical interventions (sucralfate, interferon-alpha, cyclosporin A) vs placebo

Episode frequency associated with oral ulcers · People with Behcet's disease with a history of recurrent oral aphthous-type (RAS-type) ulcers diagnosed clinically; primary care
1 finding from 1 review
  • Interventions for managing oral ulcers in Behçet's disease 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
    SoF (topical interventions vs placebo), grouped comment spanning all four listed outcomes (verbatim): "5 placebo-controlled trials evaluated topical interventions (sucralfate suspension (2 trials), interferon-alpha (2…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Topical interventions (sucralfate, interferon-alpha, cyclosporin A) vs placebo

Safety of the intervention (adverse effects) · People with Behcet's disease with a history of recurrent oral aphthous-type (RAS-type) ulcers diagnosed clinically; primary care
1 finding from 1 review
  • Interventions for managing oral ulcers in Behçet's disease 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
    SoF (topical interventions vs placebo), grouped comment spanning all four listed outcomes (verbatim): "5 placebo-controlled trials evaluated topical interventions (sucralfate suspension (2 trials), interferon-alpha (2…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Topical interventions (sucralfate, interferon-alpha, cyclosporin A) vs placebo

Pain associated with oral ulcers · People with Behcet's disease with a history of recurrent oral aphthous-type (RAS-type) ulcers diagnosed clinically; primary care
1 finding from 1 review
  • Interventions for managing oral ulcers in Behçet's disease 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
    SoF (topical interventions vs placebo), grouped comment spanning all four listed outcomes (verbatim): "5 placebo-controlled trials evaluated topical interventions (sucralfate suspension (2 trials), interferon-alpha (2…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Topical interventions (sucralfate, interferon-alpha, cyclosporin A) vs placebo

Episode duration associated with oral ulcers · People with Behcet's disease with a history of recurrent oral aphthous-type (RAS-type) ulcers diagnosed clinically; primary care
1 finding from 1 review
  • Interventions for managing oral ulcers in Behçet's disease 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
    SoF (topical interventions vs placebo), grouped comment spanning all four listed outcomes (verbatim): "5 placebo-controlled trials evaluated topical interventions (sucralfate suspension (2 trials), interferon-alpha (2…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Psychological interventions (positive/negative reinforcement, habit reversal, DRO) vs no treatment

Sucking cessation (short term) · Children with a non-nutritive sucking habit (digit or pacifier)

Psychological interventions (positive/negative reinforcement, habit… may leads to higher sucking cessation (short term) compared with no treatment (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Any of the interventions (CR, SE, SW, sealing with sealant materials, Hall Technique, or NRCC) vs Each other, placebo, or no treatment

Adverse events (any type) and safety of sealant · Children and/or adults with permanent or primary teeth, vital (sensitive) pulps, and cavitated or dentine carious lesions conventionally…

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Any of the interventions (CR, SE, SW, sealing with sealant materials, Hall Technique, or NRCC) vs Each other, placebo, or no treatment

Subjective evaluation of the treatments by participants · Children and/or adults with permanent or primary teeth, vital (sensitive) pulps, and cavitated or dentine carious lesions conventionally…

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Theory-based oral health education/promotion interventions (HBM, TPB, SCT, HAPA, TTM, PMT, SOC, PRECEDE-PROCEED, MI) vs Control (waitlist, routine/standard oral health education, or minimal intervention)

Self-efficacy related to oral health · school‐age children and adolescents

Theory-based educational interventions significantly improved oral health self-efficacy (SMD 1.49; low certainty), though between-study heterogeneity was very high.

1 finding from 1 review

Theory-based oral health education/promotion interventions (HBM, TPB, SCT, HAPA, TTM, PMT, SOC, PRECEDE-PROCEED, MI) vs Control (waitlist, routine/standard oral health education, or minimal intervention)

Oral health attitudes (1-7 scale) · school‐age children and adolescents

Theory-based interventions significantly improved oral health attitude (SMD 9.32; low certainty); the very large effect warrants cautious interpretation.

1 finding from 1 review

Theory-based oral health education/promotion interventions (HBM, TPB, SCT, HAPA, TTM, PMT, SOC, PRECEDE-PROCEED, MI) vs Control (waitlist, routine/standard oral health education, or minimal intervention)

Oral health-related quality of life · school‐age children and adolescents

Theory-based interventions significantly improved oral health-related quality of life (SMD 7.38; low certainty), with very high heterogeneity.

1 finding from 1 review