What do systematic reviews say?

SiT for maintenance/relief vs higher‐dose ICS/LABA + SABA

SiT for maintenance/relief leads to lower patients with exacerbations requiring oral steroids compared with higher‐dose ICS/LABA + SABA (high certainty).

• Combination formoterol and budesonide as maintenance and reliever therapy versus combination inhaler maintenance for… 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  OR 0.75 [0.65, 0.87]
  9096 participants
  High

Anti‐leukotrienes & ICS vs same‐dose ICS

Anti‐leukotrienes & ICS may leads to lower participants with one or more exacerbations requiring oral… compared with same dose ICS (low certainty).

• Addition of anti‐leukotriene agents to inhaled corticosteroids in children with persistent asthma 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  Risk Ratio 0.8
  1 study · 279 participants
  Low

Anti‐leukotrienes & ICS vs ICS dose increase

Anti‐leukotrienes & ICS may leads to lower participants with one or more exacerbations requiring oral… compared with higher dose ICS (low certainty).

• Addition of anti‐leukotriene agents to inhaled corticosteroids in children with persistent asthma 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  Risk Ratio 0.82
  1 study · 182 participants
  Low

Intervention not reported

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Swimming training for asthma in children and adolescents aged 18 years and under 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Intermittent 'as needed' ICS vs daily ICS

Intermittent 'as needed' ICS showed no clear difference in patients with 1 or more exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids… compared with daily ICS (low certainty).

• Intermittent versus daily inhaled corticosteroids for persistent asthma in children and adults 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 1.07 [0.87, 1.32]
  7 studies · 1204 participants
  Low

Long‐acting beta2‐agonists vs placebo

Long‐acting beta2‐agonists probably leads to lower moderate exacerbations (course of antibiotics or oral steroids) compared with placebo (moderate certainty).

• Long‐acting beta₂‐agonists for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  OR 0.73 [0.61, 0.87]
  7 studies · 3375 participants
  Moderate

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) spray vs Placebo (spray base without CMC / water)

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Donatsky 1982 (crossover, n=15, Sjogren's syndrome): CMC spray had a similar effect on oral dryness to the spray base, but was more effective than water. Paired crossover data not presented; effect size not estimable.
  1 study · 15 participants
  GRADE not reported

Reservoir biteguard device releasing a saliva substitute (with KY jelly + Saliva Orthana) vs Biteguard without reservoir (with KY jelly + Saliva Orthana)

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  More in the reservoir group experienced relief of an oral impact and fewer a new impact (OIDP), but no difference in the total impact score between groups.
  1 study · 86 participants
  GRADE not reported

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) spray vs Salinum linseed oil spray

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Mean plaque and gingival indices were reduced during the Salinum (linseed) period; incomplete comparative data.
  1 study · 20 participants
  GRADE not reported

CMC/sorbitol pre-moistened swabs vs Lemon glycerin swabs

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  CMC/sorbitol also improved dentition and gingival scores; no supporting data presented.
  1 study · 20 participants
  GRADE not reported

Mucoadhesive disk (carbomer/triglycerides + antimicrobial agents) vs Placebo disk

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Kerr 2010 (crossover, high risk of bias): no difference in oral dryness between active and placebo disks; increase in subjective oral moistness with both, persisting up to 2 weeks after last use (likely carryover);…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) spray vs Salinum linseed oil spray

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Andersson 1995 (crossover, n=20): more participants experienced a reduction in oral dryness with linseed (Salinum) spray than with CMC spray; crossover data not accounted for, no usable estimate.
  1 study · 20 participants
  GRADE not reported

CMC spray / HCC spray / HCC gel vs Liquid margarine (and between each other)

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Furumoto 1998 (crossover, n=28, medians/IQR): median day-10 oral dryness (lower = less dry): CMC spray 28.00 (3.06), HCC spray 28.75 (2.23), HCC gel 27.75 (3.62), margarine 29.25 (5.06). Only HCC gel showed a…
  1 study · 28 participants
  GRADE not reported

Pilocarpine lozenge (3 mg or 5 mg) vs placebo control

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Single dose (up to 3 hours)
  Taweechaisupapong 2006 (crossover): participants reported a statistically significant improvement in oral dryness after both 3 mg and 5 mg pilocarpine lozenges vs placebo (P <= 0.05); no usable data presented. No…
  1 study · 33 participants
  GRADE not reported

Mucin spray (Saliva Orthana) vs Placebo spray (base without mucin)

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Blixt-Johansen 1992 (parallel, elderly long-term care, poor oral mucosa): oral mucosa improved in both groups but a much greater reduction in oral pathology in the mucin spray group; no data presented.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Carbopol (polyacrylic acid/acetate) spray vs Placebo spray

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  van der Reijden 1996 (crossover, Sjogren's syndrome): carbopol spray found partially effective; none of the sprays were completely effective; no data suitable for inclusion.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Buffered 'Prophylin' prophylactic gel vs Placebo gel

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No difference between buffered gel, unbuffered gel and water for oral pH, cariogenic bacteria or Candida species.
  1 study · 14 participants
  GRADE not reported

Betaine (BET) toothpaste (4%) vs SLS toothpaste (1%) and combined BET+SLS toothpaste

• Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Rantanen 2003 (crossover): relief of oral dryness BET 44% vs BET+SLS 22% (P = 0.002) vs SLS 18% (P = 0.022) vs reference toothpaste 7% (P < 0.001); betaine-only significantly better than the other toothpastes. No…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Intervention not reported

• Exercise for preventing and treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women 2011 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  19 studies · 1338 participants
  Low

Combination fluticasone/salmeterol vs budesonide/formoterol

Combination fluticasone/salmeterol showed no clear difference in participants experiencing exacerbations requiring oral steroid… compared with budesonide/formoterol (moderate certainty).

• Combination fluticasone and salmeterol versus fixed dose combination budesonide and formoterol for chronic asthma in… 2011 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  OR 0.89 [0.74, 1.07]
  4 studies · 4949 participants
  Moderate