What do systematic reviews say?

Intervention not reported

About 58% of 11-13 year-old children in Latin America and the Caribbean had dental caries in permanent teeth (95% CI 54-61%); certainty not graded.

• Does the Decline in Caries Prevalence of Latin American and Caribbean Children Continue in the New Century? Evidence… 2016 All outcomes

  Studies with data collected after 2000 (21st century) · Latin America and the Caribbean; population/community-based epidemiological surveys
  Prevalence 0.58 [0.54, 0.61]
  63 studies · 95188 participants
  GRADE not reported

Teledentistry diagnosis using DSLR or smartphone extra-oral photographs vs Visual or clinical examination

Sensitivity ranged from 48% to 98.3% across 13 studies; no meta-analysis or GRADE rating was reported.

• Teledentistry accuracy for caries diagnosis: a systematic review of in-vivo studies using extra-oral photography… 2024 All outcomes

  Schools, juvenile detention facility, dental clinics, and hospitals · Overall
  Sensitivity Overall 48% to 98.3% across 13 studies; sensitivity is lesion-stage dependent: Kohara reported <40% for initial/moderate caries (75-100% for extensive) and early enamel lesions were less sensitive
  13 studies
  GRADE not reported

Teledentistry diagnosis using DSLR or smartphone extra-oral photographs vs Visual or clinical examination

Specificity ranged from 83% to 100% across 13 studies; no meta-analysis or GRADE rating was reported.

• Teledentistry accuracy for caries diagnosis: a systematic review of in-vivo studies using extra-oral photography… 2024 All outcomes

  Schools, juvenile detention facility, dental clinics, and hospitals · Overall
  no estimate extracted
  13 studies
  GRADE not reported

Probiotics vs placebo or control

Probiotics probably make little to no difference to the number of dental caries versus control (MD -0.24 carious pieces, 95%CI -0.72 to 0.23; low certainty).

• Efficacy of Probiotic Consumption on Oral Outcomes in Children and/or Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis. 2024 All outcomes

  follow-up: mean 26 months · Healthy children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without systemic disease; RCTs from multiple countries (India, Thailand, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Poland, Colombia, Saudi Arabia); mostly school/community and clinic settings · Overall (all presentations pooled)
  MD -0.24 [-0.72, 0.23]
  6 studies · 1049 participants
  Low

Teledentistry diagnosis using DSLR or smartphone extra-oral photographs vs Visual or clinical examination

Positive predictive values were reported in 10 of the 13 studies that reported sensitivity and specificity; no meta-analysis or GRADE rating was reported.

• Teledentistry accuracy for caries diagnosis: a systematic review of in-vivo studies using extra-oral photography… 2024 All outcomes

  Schools, juvenile detention facility, dental clinics, and hospitals · Overall
  no estimate extracted
  10 studies
  GRADE not reported

Teledentistry diagnosis using DSLR or smartphone extra-oral photographs vs Visual or clinical examination

Negative predictive values were reported in 10 of the 13 studies that reported sensitivity and specificity; no meta-analysis or GRADE rating was reported.

• Teledentistry accuracy for caries diagnosis: a systematic review of in-vivo studies using extra-oral photography… 2024 All outcomes

  Schools, juvenile detention facility, dental clinics, and hospitals · Overall
  no estimate extracted
  10 studies
  GRADE not reported

Mixed breast- and bottle-feeding vs Bottle feeding

No significant difference in caries odds was found between mixed breast-and-bottle-fed and bottle-fed-only children (meta-analysis reported no difference; pooled estimate in an unavailable supplementary figure; not GRADE-rated).

• Maternal and infant risk factors and risk indicators associated with early childhood caries in South Africa: a… 2022 All outcomes

  South Africa
  OR 1.04 [0.76, 1.41]
  2 studies · 863 participants
  GRADE not reported

Higher parental education (tertiary) vs Parental high school (secondary) education

Parental tertiary education (vs high-school education) was associated with about 1.8 times higher odds of early childhood caries in South Africa (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.22-2.57; 2 studies; not GRADE-rated).

• Maternal and infant risk factors and risk indicators associated with early childhood caries in South Africa: a… 2022 All outcomes

  South Africa
  OR 1.77 [1.22, 2.57]
  2 studies · 505 participants
  GRADE not reported

Bottle-feeding only vs Breastfeeding only

No significant difference in caries odds was found between bottle-fed-only and breast-fed-only children (meta-analysis reported no difference; pooled estimate in an unavailable supplementary figure; not GRADE-rated).

• Maternal and infant risk factors and risk indicators associated with early childhood caries in South Africa: a… 2022 All outcomes

  South Africa
  OR 1.30 [0.84, 2.02]
  2 studies · 911 participants
  GRADE not reported

Low parental socioeconomic status (SES) vs High parental socioeconomic status (SES)

No significant difference in caries odds was found between children of low- versus high-SES parents (meta-analysis reported no difference; pooled estimate in an unavailable supplementary figure; not GRADE-rated).

• Maternal and infant risk factors and risk indicators associated with early childhood caries in South Africa: a… 2022 All outcomes

  South Africa
  OR 2.21 [0.41, 11.96]
  3 studies · 1620 participants
  GRADE not reported

Probiotics vs placebo or control

In a subgroup analysis, probiotics reduced the number of caries in adolescents (MD -0.60, 95%CI -0.92 to -0.28; p-interaction=0.02); not GRADE-rated.

• Efficacy of Probiotic Consumption on Oral Outcomes in Children and/or Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis. 2024 All outcomes

  Healthy children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without systemic disease; RCTs from multiple countries (India, Thailand, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Poland, Colombia, Saudi Arabia); mostly school/community and clinic settings · Population: adolescents (vs children; p-interaction=0.02)
  MD -0.60 [-0.92, -0.28]
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported

Intervention not reported

• Oral health in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2019 All outcomes

  -
  Proportion with untreated caries NR (significantly higher in JIA)
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported