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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

1,954 questions · 2,335 findings · 149 reviews · Oral Health

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No studies found 436 · 18.7%GRADE not reported 1,370 · 58.7%Very low 254 · 10.9%Low 173 · 7.4%Moderate 80 · 3.4%High 22 · 0.9%

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Conventional or traditional oral health education, or non-gamified interventions (comparator varied; several studies were single-arm/uncontrolled)

Oral health knowledge (1-9 scale) · Children or adolescents

Gamified interventions appear to improve children's oral health knowledge compared with conventional education, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Post-intervention (predominantly short-term; long-term follow-up in a minority of studies) · School-based settings, specialized dental clinics, and home-based environments
    The effectiveness of digital-based interventions was generally positive, with 38% (9/24) of the experimental studies reporting improvements in oral health knowledge and behaviors; game-based teaching significantly…
    9 studies
    GRADE not reported

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Conventional or traditional oral health education, or non-gamified interventions (comparator varied; several studies were single-arm/uncontrolled)

Oral hygiene behavior (brushing habits, preventive dental visits, dietary choices) · Children or adolescents

Gamified interventions appear to improve oral hygiene behaviors (brushing habits, preventive dental visits) in children, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Post-intervention (predominantly short-term; long-term follow-up in a minority of studies) · School-based settings, specialized dental clinics, and home-based environments
    A gesture-based motion-capture game enhanced brushing independence and skill retention (P<.001) [Kang 2021]; 58.8% of caregivers reported their children brushed more often when using gamified applications [France…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Food marketing exposure or greater marketing power vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing

Food choice · Children and adolescents (general population, aged under 20 years)

In crossover studies with binary outcomes, food marketing had no clear association with food choice (OR 3.45, 95% CI 0.97 to 12.43; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Food marketing exposure or greater marketing power vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing

Food purchasing · Children and adolescents (general population, aged under 20 years)

Across five studies, 40% showed any association of potential public health harm for food purchasing (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Food marketing exposure or greater marketing power vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing

Dental caries · Children and adolescents (general population, aged under 20 years)

Across two studies, 50% showed any association of potential public health harm for dental caries (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Food marketing exposure or greater marketing power vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing

Food preference · Children and adolescents (general population, aged under 20 years)

In crossover studies with binary outcomes, food marketing increased food preference (OR 3.49, 95% CI 2.03 to 6.22; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

PDHA program with robust prevention vs PDHA program or PDHA program with intensive staffing

Tooth decay-free children · Alaska children aged 5 to 18 years

The robust prevention PDHA model was projected to yield more than 50% tooth decay-free children versus 8% with other PDHA models, without a GRADE rating.

1 finding from 1 review

DHAT-delivered dental care vs Dentist-delivered dental care

Caregiver satisfaction · Caregivers of Alaska Native children aged 6 to 17 years

More than 90% of caregivers reported being usually or always satisfied with DHAT care, without a GRADE rating.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Plaque · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

It is very uncertain whether flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated… changes plaque (Turesky-modified Quigley-Hein/other plaque indices; SMD) compared with toothbrushing alone (with or without a negative-control/placebo rinse) (very low certainty).

3 findings from 1 review

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Side effects · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)
1 finding from 1 review

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Gingivitis · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated… led to lower gingivitis (Gingival Index, 0-3 scale; SMD) compared with toothbrushing alone (with or without a negative-control/placebo rinse); GRADE not reported.

3 findings from 1 review

Cognitive behavioural (group psychotherapy) therapy vs Placebo pill

Improvement in burning mouth symptoms · Adults over 18 years of age with chronic orofacial pain (burning mouth syndrome)

Cognitive behavioural (group psychotherapy) therapy showed no clear difference in improvement in burning mouth symptoms compared with placebo pill; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Economic and resource cost of flossing · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Interproximal caries · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Periodontitis (clinical attachment loss) · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Psychosocial interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy, biofeedback, combination CBT/biofeedback, physical self-regulation/posture self-control) vs usual care

Patient‐reported pain intensity or pain relief (VAS, NRS or categorical scale) · Adults over 18 years of age with chronic orofacial pain (temporomandibular disorder (TMD))

Psychosocial interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy,… led to lower pain intensity (long term) compared with usual care (conservative treatment: education, counselling,…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Psychosocial interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy, biofeedback, combination CBT/biofeedback, physical self-regulation/posture self-control) vs usual care

Muscle palpation pain (long term) · Adults over 18 years of age with chronic orofacial pain (temporomandibular disorder (TMD))

Psychosocial interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy,… showed no clear difference in muscle palpation pain (long term) compared with usual care (conservative treatment: education, counselling,…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review
  • Psychosocial interventions for the management of chronic orofacial pain 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
    Long term (more than 3 months)
    Muscle palpation pain long term (greater than 3 months): 3 studies; results not pooled owing to substantial heterogeneity (I2=64%); insufficient evidence to draw conclusions for any individual intervention. One study…
    3 studies
    GRADE not reported