Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

10 questions · 10 findings · 6 reviews · Oral Health

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No studies found 2 · 20%GRADE not reported 1 · 10%Very low 3 · 30%Low 2 · 20%Moderate 1 · 10%High 1 · 10%

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs placebo or no treatment

Mucosal irritation / oral soft tissue allergic reaction (signs of sensitivity) · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or less

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes
At least 1 year/school year
One trial (Rugg-Gunn 1973) reported incompletely on oral soft tissue irritation/signs of sensitivity (allergic reaction): "no cases of mucosal hypersensitivity after periodical examinations of every subject". 434…
1 study · 434 participants
Very low

Brush biopsy (oral cytology) vs Surgical or punch biopsy with histological assessment

Sensitivity · Adults (aged 16 years or over) presenting to primary or secondary care with clinically evident suspicious or innocuous oral lesions

1 finding from 1 review

Diagnostic tests for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders in patients presenting with clinically evident… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
Sensitivity 0.90 [0.82, 0.94]
20 studies
Moderate

Vital staining (e.g. toluidine blue, tolonium chloride) vs Surgical or punch biopsy with histological assessment

Sensitivity · Adults (aged 16 years or over) presenting to primary or secondary care with clinically evident suspicious or innocuous oral lesions

1 finding from 1 review

Diagnostic tests for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders in patients presenting with clinically evident… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
Sensitivity 0.86 [0.79, 0.90]
20 studies
Low

Combined index tests (e.g. vital staining plus light-based detection or cytology) vs Surgical or punch biopsy with histological assessment

Sensitivity · Adults (aged 16 years or over) presenting to primary or secondary care with clinically evident suspicious or innocuous oral lesions

1 finding from 1 review

Diagnostic tests for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders in patients presenting with clinically evident… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
Sensitivity 0.78 [0.45, 0.94]
9 studies
Very low

Light-based detection and/or oral spectroscopy (e.g. ViziLite, VELscope, Microlux DL, Identafi 3000) vs Surgical or punch biopsy with histological assessment

Sensitivity · Adults (aged 16 years or over) presenting to primary or secondary care with clinically evident suspicious or innocuous oral lesions

1 finding from 1 review

Diagnostic tests for oral cancer and potentially malignant disorders in patients presenting with clinically evident… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
Sensitivity 0.87 [0.78, 0.93]
23 studies
Low

Direct composite resin restoration vs Amalgam restoration

Harms (toxicity and postoperative sensitivity) · People with permanent or adult posterior teeth requiring restoration (parallel-group trials involved children aged 6 to 12 years)

1 finding from 1 review

Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent posterior teeth 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
Follow-up: 2 weeks to 7 years
SoF (Harms, follow-up 2 weeks to 7 years): See comments; 3 studies; certainty very low (⊕⊝⊝⊝). Comments: data were reported for physical development, neurological and psychological effects, neurobehavioural and…
3 studies
Very low

Visual screening (oral visual inspection) by trained health workers vs No screening

Test performance (sensitivity and specificity) · Apparently healthy adults aged 35 years or older (general population), living in 13 clusters in rural areas of Trivandrum city, Kerala,…

1 finding from 1 review

Screening programmes for the early detection and prevention of oral cancer 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
15-year follow-up
Across the four cycles (15 years), the reported sensitivity of the visual examination in detecting oral cancer was 67.4% (188/279). No information on the specificity or the positive predictive value of the programme…
1 study
GRADE not reported

Ion-releasing restorations (IRR): RMGIC, HVGIC, GIC, compomer/PMRC, giomer vs Composite resin (CR), including bulk-fill composite

Absence of sensibility (post-operative sensitivity) · Children receiving dental restorations (aged 4-11 years; primary teeth; Class I/II/V cavities)

No significant difference between IRR and CR in post-operative sensitivity (high certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Clinical effectiveness of ion-releasing restorations compared to composite restorations in pediatric dental… 2025 All outcomes
1 to 2 years · Pediatric dentistry; primary molars/teeth (Class I, II, V cavities); trials from Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Brazil, and China
RR 1.02 [0.95, 1.11]
3 studies · 197 participants
High

Occlusal adjustment as an adjunct to surgical periodontal therapy vs Surgical periodontal therapy alone (no occlusal adjustment)

Adverse effects (e.g. thermal sensitivity, over-eruption, TMJ symptoms, poor aesthetics, reduced oral hygiene) · Adults with chronic periodontitis

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal interventions for periodontitis in adults 2008 · Cochrane All outcomes
Minimum 3 months (planned)
no estimate extracted
0 studies
No studies found

Occlusal adjustment as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy vs Non-surgical periodontal therapy alone (no occlusal adjustment)

Adverse effects (e.g. thermal sensitivity, over-eruption, TMJ symptoms, poor aesthetics, reduced oral hygiene) · Adults with chronic periodontitis

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal interventions for periodontitis in adults 2008 · Cochrane All outcomes
Minimum 3 months (planned)
no estimate extracted
0 studies
No studies found