Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

439 questions · 686 findings · 68 reviews

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No studies found 4 · 0.6%GRADE not reported 617 · 89.9%Very low 26 · 3.8%Low 20 · 2.9%Moderate 11 · 1.6%High 8 · 1.2%

Caries assessment at dentine threshold (cavitation into dentine) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Dental caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 12–19 years

Caries prevalence at the dentine threshold was about 56% (pooled 0.56, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.68; 15 studies; not GRADE-rated).

7 findings from 1 review

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys)
Prevalence 0.56 [0.43, 0.68]
15 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Region: Scandinavian
Prevalence 0.49 [0.32, 0.67]
9 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Region: non-Scandinavian
Prevalence 0.57 [0.32, 0.81]
6 studies
GRADE not reported

Show 4 more findings

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Examination type: partial-mouth
Prevalence 0.50 [0.06, 0.94]
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Publication year: ≥ 2010
Prevalence 0.51 [0.36, 0.66]
11 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Examination type: full-mouth
Prevalence 0.53 [0.38, 0.68]
12 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Publication year: < 2010
Prevalence 0.56 [0.22, 0.90]
4 studies
GRADE not reported

Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Dental caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 12–19 years

Enamel-threshold caries prevalence in subgroup 'Region: non-Scandinavian' was 0.74 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.96; 11 studies).

11 findings from 1 review

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Region: non-Scandinavian
Prevalence 0.74 [0.53, 0.96]
11 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Age group: 12–15 years
Prevalence 0.73 [0.59, 0.87]
24 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Examination type: partial-mouth
Prevalence 0.81 [0.70, 0.91]
5 studies
GRADE not reported

Show 8 more findings

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Examination type: full-mouth
Prevalence 0.74 [0.57, 0.90]
17 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Region: Scandinavian
Prevalence 0.76 [0.65, 0.87]
11 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Publication year: < 2010
Prevalence 0.83 [0.75, 0.89]
7 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys)
Prevalence 0.77 [0.65, 0.89]
22 studies · 84512 participants
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Examination year: ≥ 2010
Prevalence 0.74 [0.53, 0.96]
11 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Publication year: ≥ 2010
Prevalence 0.72 [0.54, 0.89]
15 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Age group: 16–19 years
Prevalence 0.90 [0.85, 0.94]
7 studies
GRADE not reported
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys) · Examination year: < 2010
Prevalence 0.78 [0.70, 0.87]
10 studies
GRADE not reported

Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None (single-group incidence)

Dental caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 12 years

Pooled caries prevalence was 0.69 (I² = 100.0%).

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe · Exact age
Prevalence 0.69 [0.49, 0.90]
13 studies
GRADE not reported

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

Oral hygiene measured by mean gingival scores · Primary school children (aged 3-16 years) attending primary school in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

The effect of school-based interventions on gingival scores is uncertain and not statistically significant (SMD 0.12; very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
SMD 0.12 [-0.32, 0.55]
3 studies · 1573 participants
Very low

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

Dental caries · Primary school children (aged 3-16 years) attending primary school in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

Among children aged 6-8 years, DMFT scores were significantly reduced (SMD -0.11); subgroup not separately GRADE-rated.

8 findings from 1 review

Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Age 6-8 years
SMD -0.11 [-0.17, -0.04]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · <=3 intervention activities
SMD -0.58 [-1.62, 0.45]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
<2 years · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention duration <2 years
SMD 0.01 [-0.16, 0.18]
3 studies
GRADE not reported

Show 5 more findings

Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Age 8-15 years
SMD -0.41 [-0.50, -0.32]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
>=2 years · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention duration >=2 years
SMD -0.49 [-0.79, -0.19]
4 studies
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
SMD -0.33 [-0.56, -0.10]
7 studies · 6766 participants
Very low
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
SMD -0.26 [-0.70, 0.18]
5 studies · 3506 participants
Very low
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · >3 intervention activities
SMD 0.02 [-0.13, 0.17]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

Annual increment in DMFS (D3) · Primary school children (aged 3-16 years) attending primary school in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

Oral-health-education interventions significantly reduced net increment in DMFS (SMD -1.05); no significant subgroup difference vs other interventions (P=0.74).

5 findings from 1 review

Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention type: oral health education
SMD -1.05 [-2.03, -0.08]
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · WHO health-promoting-schools framework
SMD -0.57 [-1.56, 0.42]
2 studies
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Non-WHO-framework interventions
SMD -1.88 [-3.15, -0.60]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported

Show 2 more findings

Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention type: other (daily tooth brushing)
SMD -1.23 [-1.46, -1.00]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
SMD -1.09 [-1.91, -0.27]
4 studies · 3755 participants
Very low

Caries distribution assessment (individual, tooth and surface levels) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Caries distribution (individual/tooth/surface level) · European adolescents aged 12–19 years

Caries distribution was skewed at individual, tooth and surface levels and too heterogeneous to meta-analyze (narrative synthesis of 11 studies; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe (community, subnational and national dental surveys)
No meta-analysis possible; caries distribution reported narratively from 11 studies as skewed at individual, tooth and surface levels, changing with age at tooth and surface level (Results – Caries distribution).
11 studies
GRADE not reported

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

Dental caries prevalence measured by dmft or DMFT/S score greater than one · Primary school children (aged 3-16 years) attending primary school in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

School-based interventions may reduce the prevalence of dental caries (RR 0.70, favouring intervention), but the certainty of evidence is very low.

3 findings from 1 review

Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
RR 0.70 [0.53, 0.94]
4 studies · 2968 participants
Very low
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
<2 years · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention duration <2 years
RR 0.95 [0.75, 1.21]
2 studies
GRADE not reported
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes
>=2 years · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention duration >=2 years
RR 0.58 [0.40, 0.84]
2 studies
GRADE not reported

Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None (single-group incidence)

Caries experience · European adolescents aged 13 years

Pooled caries experience was 1.45.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe · Exact age
Mean DMFS 1.45 [1.06, 1.98]
1 study
GRADE not reported

Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None (single-group incidence)

Dental caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 17 years

Pooled caries prevalence was 0.83 (I² = 87.2%).

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe · Exact age
Prevalence 0.83 [0.71, 0.94]
3 studies
GRADE not reported

Sociodemographic / socioeconomic factors (single-parent family, low parental education, family income, socioeconomic status) vs Absence of the factor / reference socioeconomic category

Caries increment in permanent teeth · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of age)

Evidence on the association between sociodemographic/socioeconomic factors and permanent-teeth caries is weak and inconsistent (3 studies; could not be pooled; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and… 2022 All outcomes
Cohort studies (Norway, China, Brazil)
Inconsistent findings across studies; meta-analysis could not be performed as data could not be extracted. Single-parent family and low parental education were significant in one study (Saethre-Sundli 2020); higher…
3 studies
GRADE not reported

High-viscosity glass-ionomer cement (HVGIC) restoration (conventional restorative approach) vs Compomer, composite resin, or another HVGIC

Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children with previously unrestored, vital carious lesions in primary teeth (no pulp therapy); aged 1.5-11 years

High-viscosity GIC had a wide annual failure rate (2.9-25.6%) and was outperformed by compomer/composite in some trials (3 RCTs); low quality of evidence (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp therapy: a… 2022 All outcomes
12-36 months · University and private-practice settings (Turkey, Israel)
Annual failure rate (%) 2.9-25.6%
3 studies
GRADE not reported

Not applicable (single-group prevalence) vs Not applicable

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · Children aged 12 years (plus or minus one year) in Africa

The pooled mean DMFT score was 1.0900 (95% CI 0.9143 to 1.2657); GRADE was not reported.

2 findings from 1 review

Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review and… 2022 All outcomes
Africa · Overall, publication-period analysis
Mean DMFT 1.0900 [0.9143, 1.2657]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review and… 2022 All outcomes
Africa · Overall, urban/rural-status analysis
Mean DMFT 1.1444 [0.9780, 1.3108]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported

Common genetic variants genome-wide (GWAS; ~3.9 million SNPs with MAF > 5%) vs ECC-unaffected children (per-allele case-control association)

Early childhood caries (ECC) - association at lead SNP rs76823412 (8:134690570; nearest gene(s) ST3GAL1) · Children up to age 5-6 years (European / European non-Hispanic ancestry); 843 ECC-affected vs 2124 unaffected across 5 cohorts (N=2974)

The common variant rs8091366 near CHST9, KCTD1 showed suggestive (not genome-wide significant) association with ECC (Z = 4.476, p = 7.60e-6); genetic association, ungraded.

2 findings from 1 review

Association of Early Childhood Caries with Bitter Taste Receptors: A Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies… 2022 All outcomes
Cross-sectional (ECC ascertained at the last dental exam before age 6) · Population/community child cohorts: rural Appalachia (West Virginia, Pennsylvania) and Iowa (USA) and South West England; European / European non-Hispanic ancestry only · rs8091366 (18:24715618); effect/non-effect allele A/G; MAF 0.52; direction across 5 cohorts +++++
Z-score (Stouffer's combined Z, 5 cohorts) 4.476
5 studies · 2974 participants
GRADE not reported
Association of Early Childhood Caries with Bitter Taste Receptors: A Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies… 2022 All outcomes
Cross-sectional (ECC ascertained at the last dental exam before age 6) · Population/community child cohorts: rural Appalachia (West Virginia, Pennsylvania) and Iowa (USA) and South West England; European / European non-Hispanic ancestry only · rs76823412 (8:134690570); effect/non-effect allele T/C; MAF 0.47; direction across 5 cohorts +++++
Z-score (Stouffer's combined Z, 5 cohorts) 4.806
5 studies · 2974 participants
GRADE not reported

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs placebo

Oral health-related quality of life · Children with dental caries

SDF did not significantly differ from placebo for oral health-related quality of life in children (MD 0.03, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.22; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Silver diamine fluoride and oral health-related quality of life: A review and network meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Post-treatment · Pediatric dental care; trials conducted in China, the USA, and Brazil
MD 0.03 [-0.16, 0.22]
2 studies · 440 participants
GRADE not reported

Oral health education only (verbal, written, or audio-visual education) delivered by non-dental health workers vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Caries experience at the surface level (dmfs/defs) · Children (mean age newborn to ~5.2 years) and their parents/carers

Oral-health-education-only interventions did not show a statistically significant effect on surface-level caries (dmfs SMD -0.20, 95% CI -0.43 to 0.03; 2 studies; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes
Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.) · Oral health education only (vs comprehensive intervention)
SMD -0.20 [-0.43, 0.03]
2 studies
GRADE not reported

Caries in first and second primary molars vs Reference (other primary tooth locations / caries-free)

Caries development in permanent teeth · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of age)

Caries in the first and second primary molars is the strongest tooth-specific predictor of caries in permanent teeth (RR 3.4; single study; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and… 2022 All outcomes
8-year follow-up · Cohort study, China (Li & Wang 2002) · First and second primary molars
RR 3.4 [1.8, 6.1]
1 study · 362 participants
GRADE not reported

Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None (single-group incidence)

Caries experience · European adolescents aged 17 years

Pooled caries experience was 4.50.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Europe · Exact age
Mean DMFS 4.50 [3.63, 5.57]
1 study
GRADE not reported

SDF applied biannually (every 6 months) vs Other non/minimally-invasive treatment (ART or 5% NaF varnish)

Caries arrest · Children (age 1-10 years) with active cavitated dentin caries lesions in primary molars

Biannual SDF application significantly arrested caries (pooled ES 0.39, 95% CI 0.19-0.60; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Efficacy in Arresting Cavitated Caries Lesions in Primary Molars: A Systematic Review… 2022 All outcomes
Follow-up up to 12 months (biannual application) · Pediatric dental care in hospital, community/school and outpatient settings (Saudi Arabia, China, India, Brazil, Spain) · SDF application frequency: biannual (every 6 months)
ES 0.39 [0.19, 0.60]
2 studies · 381 participants
GRADE not reported

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART)

Oral health-related quality of life · Children with dental caries

SDF did not significantly differ from atraumatic restorative treatment for oral health-related quality of life (MD 0.02, 95% CI -0.32 to 0.36; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Silver diamine fluoride and oral health-related quality of life: A review and network meta-analysis. 2022 All outcomes
Post-treatment · Pediatric dental care; trials conducted in China, the USA, and Brazil
MD 0.02 [-0.32, 0.36]
2 studies · 134 participants
GRADE not reported