What do systematic reviews say?

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

It is very uncertain whether low-level laser therapy (photon-plus GaAlAs diode laser; 70 mW… changes patient-reported altered sensation (spontaneous or evoked:… compared with placebo (sham) laser therapy (very low certainty).

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Lip
  MD 21.79 [5.29, 38.29]
  1 study · 13 participants
  Very low
• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Chin
  MD 8.40 [3.67, 13.13]
  1 study · 13 participants
  Very low

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Results: 'No studies reported on ... somatosensory evoked potentials ...'. Not reported by the included trials.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  SoF row 'Difficulty speaking': This outcome was not reported in the included studies.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  SoF row 'Difficulty eating': This outcome was not reported in the included studies.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

Low-level laser therapy (photon-plus GaAlAs diode laser; 70 mW… led to higher mechanosensory perception (load in grams to elicit sensation; Semmes… compared with placebo (sham) laser therapy; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  MD 1.07 [0.17, 1.97]
  2 studies · 26 participants
  GRADE not reported

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Results: 'No studies reported on quality of life ...'. Not reported by the included laser trials.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  SoF row 'Adverse events': This outcome was not reported in the included studies.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  SoF row 'Pain': This outcome was not reported in the included studies.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  SoF row 'Taste': This outcome was not reported in the included studies.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

Low-level laser therapy (photon-plus GaAlAs diode laser; 70 mW… showed no clear difference in thermosensory (thermal) perception compared with placebo (sham) laser therapy; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  MD 1.79 [-2.04, 5.62]
  2 studies · 25 participants
  GRADE not reported

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo (sham) laser therapy

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for iatrogenic inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury 2014 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Results: no included study reported quality of life or patient satisfaction. In PUB2 patient satisfaction is merged with quality of life as 'quality of life/patient satisfaction'.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Colour clinical examination (visual shade categorization: yellow, light brown, dark brown, black) vs Hardness clinical examination (tactile texture categorization: soft, medium/leathery, hard)

The weighted effect size favoured hardness (f=2.62) over colour (f=0.46) for discriminating microbial load, supporting hardness as the more reliable examination (ungraded).

• Reliability of colour and hardness clinical examinations in detecting dentine caries severity: a systematic review and… 2019 All outcomes
  Effect size (f) colour f=0.46; hardness f=2.62
  5 studies
  GRADE not reported

Colour clinical examination (visual shade categorization: yellow, light brown, dark brown, black) vs Hardness clinical examination (tactile texture categorization: soft, medium/leathery, hard)

For yellow-vs-other colour compared with soft-vs-harder hardness, hardness was significantly the more discriminant test (pooled WMD -3.87, 95% CI -4.46 to -2.87; ungraded).

• Reliability of colour and hardness clinical examinations in detecting dentine caries severity: a systematic review and… 2019 All outcomes

  B/DB/LB-Y (colour) vs S-M/H (hardness)
  WMD -3.867 [-4.461, -2.874]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Reliability of colour and hardness clinical examinations in detecting dentine caries severity: a systematic review and… 2019 All outcomes

  B/DB/LB-Y (colour) vs S/M-H (hardness)
  WMD -4.446 [-5.241, -3.650]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Reliability of colour and hardness clinical examinations in detecting dentine caries severity: a systematic review and… 2019 All outcomes

  B-DB/LB/Y (colour) vs S/M-H (hardness)
  WMD -0.067 [-1.877, 1.743]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Populations with a lower proportion of university-educated people (<33.78% with university level) vs Populations with a higher proportion of university-educated people (>=33.78% with university level)

The proportion of university-educated people was not associated with caries experience (DMFT); pooled DMFT was similar across subgroups and the meta-regression was non-significant; ungraded observational evidence.

• Socioeconomic Factors and Caries in People between 19 and 60 Years of Age: An Update of a Systematic Review and… 2018 All outcomes

  Population/community-based studies of adults aged 19-60 years across multiple countries (studies published 1975-2016) · High university (>=33.78%)
  MEAN 10.91 [7.95, 13.87]
  9 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Socioeconomic Factors and Caries in People between 19 and 60 Years of Age: An Update of a Systematic Review and… 2018 All outcomes

  Population/community-based studies of adults aged 19-60 years across multiple countries (studies published 1975-2016) · Low university (<33.78%)
  MEAN 10.62 [7.30, 13.93]
  9 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Socioeconomic Factors and Caries in People between 19 and 60 Years of Age: An Update of a Systematic Review and… 2018 All outcomes

  Population/community-based studies of adults aged 19-60 years across multiple countries (studies published 1975-2016) · Adjusted (Model 1)
  Meta-regression coefficient -4.132903
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported

Tetracycline suspension (250 mg, held in mouth 2 minutes then swallowed, four times daily for 5 days) vs placebo

• Systemic interventions for recurrent aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcers) 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  5 days per outbreak
  A statistically significant difference was shown, in favour of tetracycline, for adjusted maximum ulcer size (P=0.034) and adjusted maximum pain (P=0.017).
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Tetracycline suspension (250 mg, held in mouth 2 minutes then swallowed, four times daily for 5 days) vs placebo

Tetracycline suspension (250 mg, held in mouth 2 minutes then… showed no clear difference in average number of new lesions per week compared with placebo; GRADE not reported.

• Systemic interventions for recurrent aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcers) 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  5 days per outbreak
  MD -0.47 [-1.34, 0.40]
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Tetracycline suspension (250 mg, held in mouth 2 minutes then swallowed, four times daily for 5 days) vs placebo

• Systemic interventions for recurrent aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcers) 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  5 days per outbreak
  Adverse event rates were comparable between groups.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Xylitol (low-intensity sweetener/sugar alcohol) in food products (chewing gum, milk, candy, or tablets) vs no intervention

Xylitol significantly reduced Mutans streptococci in dental plaque compared with no treatment (SMD -0.73, 95% CI -1.09 to -0.37; 5 trials, I2=53%; not GRADE-rated).

• Clinical Effects of Sugar Substitutes on Cariogenic Bacteria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2024 All outcomes

  Post-consumption endpoint (trial durations 2 wk to 6 mo) · All age groups, generally healthy; multiple countries; sugar substitutes delivered as chewing gum, milk, candy, or tablets · Xylitol gum vs no treatment (5 studies, mixed ages)
  SMD -0.73 [-1.09, -0.37]
  5 studies · 308 participants
  GRADE not reported

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

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  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 found

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

Fluoride mouthrinse (any fluoride agent, concentration, volume,… showed no clear difference in proportion of children developing one or more new caries compared with placebo or no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents 2016 · Cochrane All outcomes

  At least 1 year/school year
  RR 0.77 [0.46, 1.29]
  3 studies · 1805 participants
  GRADE not reported