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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

781 questions · 1,089 findings · 92 reviews · Dental caries

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No studies found 77 · 7.1%GRADE not reported 781 · 71.7%Very low 86 · 7.9%Low 97 · 8.9%Moderate 38 · 3.5%High 10 · 0.9%

Ion-releasing restorations (IRR): RMGIC, HVGIC, GIC, compomer/PMRC, giomer vs Composite resin (CR), including bulk-fill composite

Proper surface staining · Children receiving dental restorations (aged 4-11 years; primary teeth; Class I/II/V cavities)

No significant difference between IRR and CR in surface staining (moderate certainty; downgraded for inconsistency).

1 finding from 1 review

Partial pulpotomy with tri-calcium silicate material (MTA or Biodentine) vs Partial pulpotomy with calcium hydroxide

Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults aged 18 years or older with mature permanent teeth and carious pulp exposure

Tri-calcium silicate use was associated with a 37% increase in partial-pulpotomy success in meta-regression.

1 finding from 1 review

Country-level dental caries prevalence (Global Burden of Disease) vs Low vs high dental caries prevalence

Oral health-related quality of life · people aged 60 years and older living in the community

Lower country-level dental caries prevalence was associated with better OHRQoL (low-prevalence pooled mean 81.5, 95% CI 76.5 to 86.6, higher than high-prevalence countries); statistically significant (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Caries experience vs Adolescents without dental caries

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 outcomes
    Cross-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

High dental-caries prevalence vs Not applicable

Oral health-related quality of life · people aged 60 years and older living in the community

The review reported higher OHRQoL in the low than high dental-caries-prevalence category.

1 finding from 1 review

Ion-releasing restorations (IRR): RMGIC, HVGIC, GIC, compomer/PMRC, giomer vs Composite resin (CR), including bulk-fill composite

Adequate periodontal tissue · Children receiving dental restorations (aged 4-11 years; primary teeth; Class I/II/V cavities)

Uncertain whether IRR and CR differ in periodontal tissue outcomes (low certainty; downgraded for very serious inconsistency).

1 finding from 1 review

Prenatal vitamin D level ≤50 nmol/L vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries · Children aged 2 to 8 years

The review reported a lower odds ratio at maternal prenatal vitamin D ≤50 nmol/L than at ≤35 nmol/L, without a numeric value in the available sources.

1 finding from 1 review

Dietary advice on how to achieve a healthy diet for infants (tailored advice focused on a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol intake) vs usual care

Dental caries · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes, children up to 6 years…

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

2 findings from 1 review

Nocturnal breastfeeding vs No nocturnal breastfeeding

Early childhood caries (ECC) · Preschool children (<6 years)

After excluding one study, nocturnal breastfeeding was associated with higher ECC risk (RR 3.05, 95% CI 2.40 to 3.87; I²=33%).

1 finding from 1 review

Oral health education/promotion (oral hygiene advice plus diet and feeding practice advice) combined with clinical treatment for mother's dentition (basic restorative and preventive; 1 trial included CHX varnish application) vs usual care

Mother microbiological presence (high-level mutans streptococci / lactobacilli) · For interventions, pregnant women and mothers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes, children up to 6 years of age

Oral health education/promotion (oral hygiene advice plus diet and… showed no clear difference in mother microbiological presence (high-level mutans streptococci /… compared with standard care; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) vs Consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to women's dentition

Caries presence in primary teeth · For interventions, pregnant women and mothers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes, children up to 6 years of age

It is very uncertain whether consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) changes caries presence in primary teeth compared with consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to… (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Cesarean section delivery vs Vaginal delivery

Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged <6 years

No significant association between cesarean vs vaginal delivery and ECC among America/Canada/Brazil studies (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.70-1.76).

17 findings from 1 review
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Prophylaxis (teeth cleaning) and CHX or iodine-NaF solution application in the dentition of women (mothers) vs placebo

Mother microbiological presence · For interventions, pregnant women and mothers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes, children up to 6 years of age
1 finding from 1 review

Prenatal vitamin D deficiency (low maternal 25(OH)D during pregnancy) vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries prevalence · Children aged 2 to 8 years

The review reported 44% dental caries prevalence among children of mothers with low prenatal vitamin D.

2 findings from 1 review

Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and sugar avoidance) and feeding practices (e.g. relating to bottle-feeding and sleep) for infants and young children vs usual care

dmfs index score (decayed, missing, filled primary surfaces; range 0-80) · For interventions, pregnant women, mothers or other caregivers of infants in the first year of life; for outcomes, children up to 6 years…

Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and… showed no clear difference in dmfs index score (decayed, missing, filled primary surfaces; range… compared with standard care (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Presence of oral Candida albicans vs Absence of oral Candida albicans

Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged ≤6 years (early childhood)

RETRACTED. Among studies before 2017, oral C. albicans presence was associated with higher odds of ECC (OR 4.89, 95% CI 2.79-8.58); ungraded subgroup from a retracted review.

16 findings from 1 review
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Prenatal vitamin D deficiency (low maternal 25(OH)D during pregnancy) vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries in children · Infants and children (aged about 2 to 8 years) whose mothers' vitamin D status was assessed during pregnancy

For prenatal vitamin D measured across gestational weeks 6-38, the OR of dental caries was 1.32 (no CI reported); ungraded.

3 findings from 1 review