Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

76 questions · 167 findings · 22 reviews

No studies found 0 · 0%GRADE not reported 159 · 95.2%Very low 7 · 4.2%Low 1 · 0.6%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%

Oral-health promotion programs (OHPPs): community-based oral-health education/training, supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and topical fluoride, dental screening, and dietary advice vs No oral-health promotion program, or a differing (usual-care) action under similar conditions

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Children aged 0-12 years in Japan

The single Japanese study yielded a degenerate estimate of OR 0.00 (95% CI 0.00 to 0.00; ungraded, single study).

1 finding from 1 review

Residence in heavily contaminated area (approx. 15-40 Ci/km2) vs Residence in non-contaminated (non-exposed) area (<1 Ci/km2)

Dental caries · Children aged 5-7 years (early school-age)

In early school-age children (5-7 y) from heavily contaminated areas, individual studies gave conflicting DMFT/dmft differences (some favouring exposed, some non-exposed); the review did not pool them (ungraded).

4 findings from 1 review
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Residence in low-contamination area (approx. 5-15 Ci/km2) vs Residence in non-contaminated (non-exposed) area (<1 Ci/km2)

Dental caries · Children aged 5-7 years (early school-age)

In early school-age children (5-7 y) from a low-contamination area, one study reported higher DMFT/dmft in exposed than non-exposed children; the estimate was not pooled (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Oral-health promotion programs (OHPPs): community-based oral-health education/training, supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and topical fluoride, dental screening, and dietary advice vs No oral-health promotion program, or a differing (usual-care) action under similar conditions

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Children aged 0-12 years (studies published 2015 or later)

In studies published from 2015 onward, OHPPs were associated with lower DMFT (OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.53; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Oral-health promotion programs (OHPPs): community-based oral-health education/training, supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and topical fluoride, dental screening, and dietary advice vs No oral-health promotion program, or a differing (usual-care) action under similar conditions

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Children aged 0-12 years in Finland

The single Finnish study showed lower DMFT/S with OHPP (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.56; ungraded, single study).

1 finding from 1 review

Oral-health promotion programs (OHPPs): community-based oral-health education/training, supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and topical fluoride, dental screening, and dietary advice vs No oral-health promotion program, or a differing (usual-care) action under similar conditions

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Children aged 0-12 years (studies published before 2015)

In studies published before 2015, OHPPs were associated with lower DMFT (OR 0.01, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.13; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Overweight vs Normal Weight or Non‐Obese

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · Brazilian children in primary dentition (BMI classified by CDC 2000 growth charts)

Overweight may make little or no difference to caries experience (dmft) in the primary dentition of Brazilian children (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Overweight vs Normal Weight or Non‐Obese

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · Brazilian children/adolescents in permanent dentition (BMI classified by CDC 2000 growth charts)

Overweight may make little or no difference to caries experience (DMFT) in the permanent dentition (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Obesity (Unclassified) vs Normal Weight or Non‐Obese

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · Brazilian children in primary dentition (BMI classified by CDC 2000 growth charts)

Obesity may make little or no difference to caries experience (dmft) in the primary dentition (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Obesity (Unclassified) vs Normal Weight or Non‐Obese

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

Not applicable (single-group prevalence) vs Not applicable (single-group prevalence)

Early childhood caries experience (mean dmft) · Children younger than 71 months (under 6 years)

Mean dmft was lowest (1.62 teeth) in low-inequality countries by Gini index.

16 findings from 1 review
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High-frequency sugar consumption (three or more times daily) vs Low sugar intake (fewer than three times daily)

Dental caries in permanent teeth · Nigerian individuals with permanent dentition (approximately 12 years and older)

In permanent dentition, high-frequency sugar consumption was associated with non-significant 15% higher odds of caries (OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.52), with no heterogeneity (I2=0%; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Growth stunting (linear growth retardation, low height-for-age) vs Children without growth stunting (normal height-for-age)

Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged ≤6 years (early childhood)

One Nigerian cross-sectional study reported a significant adjusted association between nutritional (stunting) status and ECC (APR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03-0.69); ungraded.

4 findings from 1 review
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Down syndrome vs Individuals without Down syndrome (healthy controls: siblings, schoolchildren or others)

Mean DMFT (decayed, missing, filled permanent teeth) · Individuals of all ages

Individuals with Down syndrome had a lower mean DMFT in permanent teeth than controls (pooled SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.02; 6 studies; I2=20%); certainty of evidence not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Institutionalization (living in an orphanage/institution) vs Parented children living with their families

Caries in primary teeth: dmft (3 years) · Institutionalized orphan children (roughly 3 to 18 years)

Primary-teeth caries experience (dmf) was higher in institutionalized children than parented children but not significantly so (pooled MD 0.64; very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Institutionalization (living in an orphanage/institution) vs Parented children living with their families

Mean DMFT (decayed, missing, filled permanent teeth) · Institutionalized orphan children (roughly 3 to 18 years)

Permanent-teeth caries experience (DMF) was marginally higher in institutionalized children but essentially similar to parented children (pooled MD 0.09, not significant; very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review