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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.
5,762 questions in 263 reviews · Dental caries
current versionsNo studies 321 · 5.6%Ungraded 4,450 · 77.2%Very low 455 · 7.9%Low 297 · 5.2%Moderate 200 · 3.5%High 39 · 0.7%
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.
| Question | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Selective (incomplete) or stepwise carious tissue removal (SE/SW) vs Non-selective (complete) carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists utilizing SE/SW for deep carious lesions · Dentists managing deep carious lesions in permanent vital teeth Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 53 [44, 62] | 9 studies · 4199 participants | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Dental caries prevalence in primary teeth (cavitated lesions) · Children aged 5-6 years in Latin America and the Caribbean · Studies with data collected after 2000 (21st century), Brazil Does the Decline in Caries Prevalence of Latin American and Caribbean Children Continue in the New Century?… (2016) | Prevalence 0.52 [0.49, 0.54] | 34 studies · 17874 participants | Ungraded |
Sodium fluoride (NaF) gel vs Not specified Remineralisation of early enamel caries · Children with early (incipient) enamel caries Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | One study using sodium fluoride gel showed a significant remineralising effect on early enamel caries. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Pulpal inflammation or necrosis · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · overall (1 week to 6 months) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.29 [0.32, 5.14] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Dental caries prevalence in primary teeth (cavitated lesions) · Children aged 5-6 years in Latin America and the Caribbean · Studies with data collected after 2000 (21st century) Does the Decline in Caries Prevalence of Latin American and Caribbean Children Continue in the New Century?… (2016) | Prevalence 0.56 [0.52, 0.59] | 42 studies · 26467 participants | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Durability of restoration · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · 6 months follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 2.40 [0.65, 8.77] | 4 studies · 236 participants | Very low |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Schwendicke 2016 (Norway) Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 99 [95, 100] | 1 study · 199 participants | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Development of carious lesions on sealed occlusal pits and fissures · 60 months Caries-Preventive Effect of High-Viscosity Glass Ionomer and Resin-Based Fissure Sealants on Permanent… (2016) | RD -0.07 [-0.14, -0.01] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Dementia vs Older people without dementia Decayed teeth · Older people with dementia Oral health and orofacial pain in older people with dementia: a systematic review with focus on dental hard… (2016) | MEAN Without dementia 0.0 to 2.9; with dementia 0.3 to 6.0 (mean number of decayed teeth) | 11 studies | Ungraded |
30% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Not specified Arrest of dentine caries · Children with active dentine caries in primary teeth Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | 30% SDF was reported as an effective intervention to arrest dentine caries on primary teeth. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Durability of restoration · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · 2 years follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 0.50 [0.02, 14.60] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Operator preference/fatigue in operator · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | One study (Evans 2000): 11 dental practitioners expressed a preference in 73 of 77 'dentist/patient encounters', significantly in favour of conventional drill rather than laser (P < 0.001); main difficulty with laser… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Caries removal (clinical) · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · during treatment Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.00 [0.99, 1.01] | 2 studies · 190 participants | Low |
Intervention NR Dental caries prevalence in permanent teeth (cavitated lesions) · Children aged 11-13 years in Latin America and the Caribbean · Studies with data collected after 2000 (21st century), Brazil Does the Decline in Caries Prevalence of Latin American and Caribbean Children Continue in the New Century?… (2016) | Prevalence 0.56 [0.53, 0.60] | 51 studies · 87961 participants | Ungraded |
12% silver diamine fluoride (SDF), single (one-off) application vs Not specified Arrest of dentine caries · Children with active dentine caries Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | A one-off application of 12% SDF was found ineffective to arrest caries (Yee 2009). | 1 study | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Duration of treatment · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | MD 0.90 [0.59, 1.21] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Seale and Glickman 2007 (all 376 conference dentists; source mislabels as 'endodontists', but only 102 were endodontists) Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 59 [54, 64] | 1 study · 376 participants | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Other caries removal systems (chemo-mechanical, sono-abrasion, or air-abrasion) Outcome NR · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | 'Types of interventions' allowed comparison of laser with other caries-removal systems (chemo-mechanical, sono-abrasion, air-abrasion); no included study used such a comparator (all nine included trials compared laser… | NR | No studies |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Marginal integrity of restorations · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · 6 months follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.00 [0.21, 4.78] | 3 studies · 146 participants | Very low |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Stangvaltaite 2013 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 51 [44, 58] | 1 study · 212 participants | Ungraded |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Schwendicke 2016 (Germany) Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 68 [64, 71] | 1 study · 622 participants | Ungraded |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Schwendicke 2013 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 50 [47, 53] | 1 study · 799 participants | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Arrest of dentine caries · 38% SDF twice-yearly vs annual application (higher arrest with twice-yearly) Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | no estimate extracted | 1 study | Ungraded |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · McBride 2010 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 35 [32, 38] | 1 study · 812 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs Placebo or no treatment Caries increment in deciduous (primary) teeth/surfaces (d(e/m)fs; dmf index) · Children or adolescents aged 16 years or younger at the start of the study · At least 1 year/school year Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (2016) · Cochrane | We could not present estimates of the effect of fluoride mouthrinse on caries increment in deciduous teeth/tooth surfaces (dmf index) as no study contributed data. None of the included trials reported on caries… | 0 studies | No studies |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Recurrent (secondary) caries · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · 6 months to 2 years follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | Two trials reported data on prevalence of secondary caries (Hadley 2000 at 6 months; Yazici 2010 at 2 years). No occurrence of caries was reported in either study (no events; no estimable effect). | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Durability of restoration · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · 1 year follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.40 [0.29, 6.78] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs Placebo or no treatment Proportion of children developing one or more new caries · Children or adolescents aged 16 years or younger at the start of the study · At least 1 year/school year Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (2016) · Cochrane | RR 0.77 [0.46, 1.29] | 3 studies · 1805 participants | Ungraded |
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 or adolescents aged 16 years or younger at the start of the study · At least 1 year/school year Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (2016) · Cochrane | 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 |
Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs Placebo or no treatment Signs of acute toxicity during application of treatment (such as nausea/gagging/vomiting) · Children or adolescents aged 16 years or younger at the start of the study · At least 1 year/school year Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (2016) · Cochrane | Signs of acute toxicity during application of treatment (such as nausea/gagging/vomiting): "Not reported in any studies"; "No data on signs of acute toxicity". None of the studies reported adverse acute symptoms… | 0 studies | No studies |
Dementia vs Older people without dementia Filled teeth · Older people with dementia Oral health and orofacial pain in older people with dementia: a systematic review with focus on dental hard… (2016) | MEAN Without dementia 0.7 to 25.7; with dementia 0.8 to 23.9 (mean number of filled teeth) | 9 studies | Ungraded |
High maternal allostatic load (chronic stress) and low socioeconomic status vs Lower maternal allostatic load Child dental caries experience · Mother-child pairs Social-Biological Interactions in Oral Disease: A 'Cells to Society' View. (2016) | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 1184 participants | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Participant preference · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | Three studies (Evans 2000; Liu 2006; Zhang 2013) reported participants' preference for future treatment. Zhang 2013: 37/53 children (72%) preferred laser, 10 (22%) drill. Liu 2006: 36/40 (90%) preferred laser, 4 (5%)… | 3 studies | Ungraded |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Katz 2013 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 45 [26, 55] | 1 study · 108 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs Placebo or no treatment Unacceptability of treatment as measured by leaving study early (dropouts) · Children or adolescents aged 16 years or younger at the start of the study · At least 1 year/school year Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.33 [0.62, 2.83] | 4 studies · 1700 participants | Very low |
Adhesively bonded amalgam restorations in conventional preparations utilising deliberate retention (all bonding agents) vs Traditional non‐bonded amalgam restorations Adverse effects · Adults and adolescents with permanent posterior molar and premolar teeth suitable for Class I and II, but excluding… Adhesively bonded versus non‐bonded amalgam restorations for dental caries (2016) · Cochrane | Adverse effects: any event for which the causal relationship between the event and the amalgam restoration is at least a reasonable possibility - not measured | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See… | 0 studies | No studies |
Selective (incomplete) or stepwise carious tissue removal (SE/SW) vs Non-selective (complete) carious tissue removal Barriers and facilitators of SE/SW utilization · Dentists managing deep carious lesions in permanent vital teeth Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Thematic analysis mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B/Behavior Change Wheel; factors span knowledge (dentists' age, understanding of caries), skills, social influence (peers, practice networks),… | 9 studies | Ungraded |
10% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Glass ionomer restoration and tooth-brushing Remineralisation of early enamel caries · Children with early enamel caries in erupting permanent first molars Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | A pilot study found 10% silver diamine fluoride therapy, glass ionomer restoration, and tooth-brushing had a similar effect in remineralising early enamel caries. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Schwendicke 2016 (France) Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 49 [45, 52] | 1 study · 661 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs Placebo or no treatment Caries increment in permanent teeth: decayed, (missing) and filled teeth D(M)FT (prevented fraction) · Children or adolescents aged 16 years or younger at the start of the study · At least 1 year/school year Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (2016) · Cochrane | PF 0.23 [0.18, 0.29] | 13 studies · 5105 participants | Moderate |
0.9% silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4) vs Not specified Remineralisation of white spot lesions · Children with white spot lesions / early enamel caries Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | One study found that silicon tetrafluoride could not remineralise white spot lesions. | 1 study | Ungraded |
6% sodium fluoride with 6% calcium fluoride varnish vs No treatment Reversal / remineralisation of early enamel caries · Children with early enamel caries (permanent dentition) Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | One study (Xhemnica 2008) reported a significant reversal of early enamel caries using 6% NaF with 6% calcium fluoride compared with no treatment; this study was excluded from the meta-analysis. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Marginal integrity of restorations · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · 1 year follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.59 [0.34, 7.38] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Episodes of pain (moderate or high pain; six-face rating scale) · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · during treatment Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 0.40 [0.28, 0.57] | 2 studies · 143 participants | Low |
Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume, frequency or technique; swished and expectorated, not swallowed) vs Placebo or no treatment Caries increment in permanent teeth: decayed, (missing) and filled tooth surfaces D(M)FS (prevented fraction) · Children or adolescents aged 16 years or younger at the start of the study · At least 1 year/school year Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents (2016) · Cochrane | PF 0.27 [0.23, 0.30] | 35 studies · 15305 participants | Moderate |
Intervention NR Arrest of dentine caries · SDF vs glass ionomer restoration (SDF superior) Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | no estimate extracted | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Low socioeconomic status and family financial stress vs Higher socioeconomic status and lower stress Salivary cortisol, cariogenic bacterial load and dental caries · Kindergarten-age children Social-Biological Interactions in Oral Disease: A 'Cells to Society' View. (2016) | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 94 participants | Ungraded |
Selective (incomplete) or stepwise carious tissue removal (SE/SW) vs Non-selective (complete) carious tissue removal Temporal change in the proportion of dentists utilizing SE/SW · Dentists managing deep carious lesions in permanent vital teeth Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Meta-regression coefficient (% per year) 1.6 | 9 studies · 4199 participants | Ungraded |
High-viscosity glass-ionomer cement (HVGIC) fissure sealant placed by press-finger technique vs Resin-based fissure sealant Development of carious lesions on sealed occlusal pits and fissures · Children with fully erupted permanent first molar teeth (mean age about 6 to 8 years) · 60 months Caries-Preventive Effect of High-Viscosity Glass Ionomer and Resin-Based Fissure Sealants on Permanent… (2016) | RR 0.29 [0.09, 0.95] | 2 studies · 205 evaluated sealed teeth participants | Ungraded |
Adhesively bonded amalgam restorations in conventional preparations utilising deliberate retention (all bonding agents) vs Traditional non‐bonded amalgam restorations Secondary caries, as diagnosed clinically · Adults and adolescents with permanent posterior molar and premolar teeth suitable for Class I and II, but excluding… Adhesively bonded versus non‐bonded amalgam restorations for dental caries (2016) · Cochrane | Secondary caries, as diagnosed clinically - not measured | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See comment | No study addressed this outcome | 0 studies | No studies |