Prevalence of fair/poor self-rated oral health · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States
In Canada, post-secondary versus university education differed by 2.4 percentage points in prevalence of fair/poor self-rated oral health.
4 findings from 1 review
AD 2.4 [-1.3, 6.1]
1 study · 3278 participants
GRADE not reported
AD 4.2 [-2.9, 11.2]
1 study · 2041 participants
GRADE not reported
AD 20.8 [16.3, 25.4]
1 study · 4568 participants
GRADE not reported
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Prevalence of fair/poor self-rated oral health · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States
Across four countries, low versus high income differed by 15.77 percentage points in prevalence of fair/poor self-rated oral health (random-effects meta-analysis; I2=13.4%).
5 findings from 1 review
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School-based oral health promotion services · Alaska children
The PDHA program was projected to raise school-based oral health promotion service receipt from 53% to more than 90%, without a GRADE rating.
1 finding from 1 review
Reduced dental plaque index · Adults with dental caries
Postbiotic lozenges reduce plaque index in one adult RCT (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary Streptococcus mutans count and plaque index · Adults with dental caries
No meta-analysis was conducted; postbiotic lozenges were reported to reduce salivary Streptococcus mutans counts and plaque index versus placebo.
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
1 study
GRADE not reported
Streptococcus mutans count · Humans at risk of dental caries (children aged 6-12 years; adults with dental caries)
Postbiotic products reduce salivary S. mutans counts in human trials, though not always significantly (ungraded narrative synthesis).
1 finding from 1 review
Negative oral-health impact on daily performance (OIDP or Child-OIDP) · Adolescents (10-19 years)
In the Child-OIDP subgroup, dental caries is associated with a worse oral-health impact: PR 1.66 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.31) from 6 studies (I2=96%); ungraded, and not statistically different from the OIDP subgroup (p=0.96).
5 findings from 1 review
Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesCross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Instrument subgroup: Child-OIDP
PR 1.66 [1.19, 2.31]
6 studies
GRADE not reported
Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesCross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Instrument subgroup: OIDP (all 3 studies)
PR 1.68 [0.89, 3.17]
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesCross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Instrument subgroup: OIDP, sensitivity analysis excluding Krisdapong et al.
PR 1.21 [1.15, 1.28]
2 studies
GRADE not reported
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Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesCross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Overall (all meta-analyzed studies pooled; both instruments and both caries definitions)
PR 1.52 [1.15, 2.01]
9 studies
GRADE not reported
Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesCross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Caries-definition subgroup: presence of dental caries
PR 1.19 [0.77, 1.84]
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Risk of femoral fractures · general population
Femoral-fracture risk was mildly U-shaped: RR 0.86 at 0.5 mg/L rising to 1.06 at 1.8 mg/L drinking-water fluoride vs null; risk mostly below null across the range; ungraded.
2 findings from 1 review
The association of fluoride exposure with bone density and fracture risk: a dose-response meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesLong-term / lifetime fluoride exposure · General population; 37 observational studies (1944-2024), predominantly North America (USA, Canada) and Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden), plus UK, Poland, Italy, Germany, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Ethiopia; exposure mainly community drinking-water fluoride · Drinking-water fluoride 1.8 mg/L vs null
RR 1.06 [0.67, 1.69]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
The association of fluoride exposure with bone density and fracture risk: a dose-response meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesLong-term / lifetime fluoride exposure · General population; 37 observational studies (1944-2024), predominantly North America (USA, Canada) and Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden), plus UK, Poland, Italy, Germany, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Ethiopia; exposure mainly community drinking-water fluoride · Drinking-water fluoride 0.5 mg/L vs null
RR 0.86 [0.71, 1.05]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Oral health-related quality of life · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible pulpitis
No included study reported oral health-related quality of life (a planned outcome), so no evidence is available.
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
0 studies
No studies found
Improved caries prognosis via restored oral microbiota · Patients after dental filling
Adjuvant postbiotics after dental filling improve caries prognosis by restoring the oral microbiota in one RCT (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Femoral neck bone mineral density (FN-BMD) · European-ancestry adults
Genetically predicted periodontitis had no causal effect on femoral neck BMD.
1 finding from 1 review
Femoral neck bone mineral density (FN-BMD) · European-ancestry adults
Genetically predicted dental caries (DMFS) had no causal effect on femoral neck BMD.
1 finding from 1 review
Hip/femoral bone mineral density (BMD) · general population
Hip BMD increased with fluoride in both sexes (linearly in males, non-linearly above ~1.2 mg/L in females); no numeric MD reported in text for the main analysis; ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Hip/femoral bone mineral density (BMD) · Females (all ages)
In females (low-to-moderate risk-of-bias studies), hip BMD rose monotonically above ~0.9 mg/L: MD 0.04 g/cm2 (95% CI -0.03-0.12) up to ~2.3 mg/L and 0.09 (-0.09-0.27) at 4.0 mg/L vs null; ungraded.
2 findings from 1 review
The association of fluoride exposure with bone density and fracture risk: a dose-response meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesLong-term / lifetime fluoride exposure · General population; 37 observational studies (1944-2024), predominantly North America (USA, Canada) and Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden), plus UK, Poland, Italy, Germany, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Ethiopia; exposure mainly community drinking-water fluoride · Females, low-to-moderate risk-of-bias studies: up to ~2.3 mg/L vs null
MD 0.04 [-0.03, 0.12]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
The association of fluoride exposure with bone density and fracture risk: a dose-response meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesLong-term / lifetime fluoride exposure · General population; 37 observational studies (1944-2024), predominantly North America (USA, Canada) and Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden), plus UK, Poland, Italy, Germany, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Ethiopia; exposure mainly community drinking-water fluoride · Females, low-to-moderate risk-of-bias studies: 4.0 mg/L vs null
MD 0.09 [-0.09, 0.27]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Caries prognosis and oral-microbiota diversity structure and function · Patients after dental filling
No meta-analysis was conducted; postbiotic tablets were reported to improve caries prognosis and restore oral-microbiota diversity structure and function.
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
1 study
GRADE not reported
Oral microbial community composition and diversity (other caries-associated taxa; alpha- and beta-diversity) · Systemically healthy individuals (children and adults, aged 40 months to 50 years) assessed for dental caries
No oral microbial taxon other than S. mutans was consistently associated with caries; alpha-diversity mostly did not differ between caries-active and caries-free groups and beta-diversity findings were mixed (ungraded, narrative).
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · Mature permanent (molar) teeth with deep caries and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis (spontaneous pain)
No included study reported oral health-related quality of life (a planned outcome), so no evidence is available.
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
0 studies
No studies found
Negative oral-health impact on daily performance (OIDP or Child-OIDP) · Adolescents (10-19 years)
For experience (history) of dental caries, adolescents had a significantly worse oral-health impact: PR 1.72 (95% CI 1.23 to 2.43) from 6 studies (I2=97%); ungraded, and not statistically different from the presence subgroup (p=0.19).
1 finding from 1 review
Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomesCross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Caries-definition subgroup: experience of dental caries
PR 1.72 [1.23, 2.43]
6 studies
GRADE not reported
Oral mucosal moisture · Elderly (>60 years) and medically compromised adults with xerostomia / dry mouth
One small study found that chewing hard (but not soft) gum increased oral mucosal moisture.
1 finding from 1 review
Poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Adolescents (10-19 years)
Malocclusions probably have a negative effect on OHRQoL in adolescents, after adjustment for confounders (moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Impaired OHRQoL, qualitative synthesis: relative effect not estimable across the 13 studies (13,864 participants); moderate quality of evidence (GRADE).
13 studies · 13864 participants
Moderate