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Each row is one question a systematic review asked: who, what, compared with what, and which outcome, with the effect it found and how certain that is. Words match anywhere in the field.
5,762 questions in 263 reviews · Dental caries
current versionsNo studies 321 · 5.6%Ungraded 4,450 · 77.2%Very low 455 · 7.9%Low 297 · 5.2%Moderate 200 · 3.5%High 39 · 0.7%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
| Question | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Anorexia nervosa (as exposure; diagnosed by DSM-III/III-R/IV/V) vs Healthy individuals without anorexia nervosa (age- and sex-matched controls) Gingival (marginal) recession · Patients with anorexia nervosa aged >=12 years (mean age ~18.4; entirely female in reported data), general… The influence of anorexia nervosa on oral health and related parameters potentially relevant to orthodontic… (2025) | Marginal/gingival recession significantly higher in anorexia nervosa patients (Pallier 2.8% vs 0.0%, p<0.01; Touyz 10.2% vs 2.0%, p<0.001); not meta-analyzed | 2 studies · 136 participants | Ungraded |
Severe early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls Veillonella spp. and Streptococcus mutans interaction · Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls A systematic review of Streptococcus Mutans and Veillonellae species interactions in dental caries… (2025) | Veillonella spp. may promote proliferation or survival of cariogenic species, as shown for interactions between Veillonella spp. and S. mutans. | 1 study · 82 participants | Ungraded |
HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy, >=3 drugs) vs HIV-positive not receiving HAART (standard ART or HAART-naive) Dental caries severity (dmft index, primary dentition) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (case-control), Case-control studies; dmft index Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | MD 0.66 [-0.26, 1.58] | NR | Ungraded |
Genetically predicted DMFS (dental caries) vs Lower genetically predicted DMFS Osteoporosis with pathological fracture · European GWAS participants · SVMR Maximum Likelihood From teeth to bone: dental caries has causal effects on osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture. (2025) | OR 1.278 [0.921, 1.773] | 376746 participants | Ungraded |
Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) vs Reference standard (bitewing radiography, ADA classification, ICDAS II) Proximal caries detection: sensitivity · Patients (in vivo); permanent and primary teeth, proximal (approximal) surfaces · Permanent dentition Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative light-induced fluorescence in detecting caries of various types and… (2025) | Sensitivity 0.76 | 3 studies | Ungraded |
Higher drinking-water fluoride exposure vs Null / lowest drinking-water fluoride exposure (reference) Risk of wrist fractures · General population (both sexes, all ages) · Long-term / lifetime fluoride exposure, Drinking-water fluoride 0.01 mg/L vs null The association of fluoride exposure with bone density and fracture risk: a dose-response meta-analysis. (2025) | RR 1.00 [0.99, 1.01] | NR | Ungraded |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries severity (DMFS index, permanent dentition) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (cross-sectional), Cross-sectional studies; DMFS index Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | MD 2.00 [1.54, 2.46] | 1 study · 778 participants | Ungraded |
Higher drinking-water fluoride exposure vs Null / lowest drinking-water fluoride exposure (reference) Risk of fragility fractures · Females (all ages) · Long-term / lifetime fluoride exposure, Females: drinking-water fluoride 0.9 mg/L vs null The association of fluoride exposure with bone density and fracture risk: a dose-response meta-analysis. (2025) | RR 1.00 [0.79, 1.27] | NR | Ungraded |
Anorexia nervosa (as exposure; diagnosed by DSM-III/III-R/IV/V) vs Healthy individuals without anorexia nervosa (age- and sex-matched controls) Dental erosion · Patients with anorexia nervosa aged >=12 years (mean age ~18.4; entirely female in reported data), general… The influence of anorexia nervosa on oral health and related parameters potentially relevant to orthodontic… (2025) | Significant prevalence of dental erosion in anorexic patients vs controls, though BEWE scores indicated low erosive-wear risk (Mascitti BEWE 5.2+/-4.5; Paszynska 16.2% at BEWE 3-8); not meta-analyzed | 2 studies · 270 participants | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Lacunar stroke · Mediation via IL-1α, IL-6, TNF, CRP (two-step MR) The contribution of oral infectious diseases in lacunar stroke based on meta-analysis and Mendelian… (2025) | Indirect effect No mediating effect | NR | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 2: loss of dental hard substance adjacent to the restoration · Continent: Europe Clinical Decision-Making of Repair vs. Replacement of Defective Direct Dental Restorations: A Multinational… (2025) | RR 0.59 [0.39, 0.88] | 6 studies | Ungraded |
Flavonoids (e.g., quercetin, proanthocyanidin) vs Calcium-based agent Immediate (24 h) resin-dentin bond strength (MPa) · Artificial caries-affected dentin (ACAD) in extracted permanent human teeth (in vitro) · 24 h (immediate), Self-Etch + chemical ACAD Biomimetic Remineralization Strategies for Dentin Bond Stability-Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD 5.728 [-2.442, 13.897] | 0 studies | Moderate |
Hydroxyapatite (e.g., nano-HAp) vs Flavonoids (e.g., quercetin, proanthocyanidin) Immediate (24 h) resin-dentin bond strength (MPa) · Artificial caries-affected dentin (ACAD) in extracted permanent human teeth (in vitro) · 24 h (immediate), Self-Etch + chemical ACAD Biomimetic Remineralization Strategies for Dentin Bond Stability-Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD -7.520 [-14.758, -0.281] | 0 studies | Moderate |
Intervention NR Osteoporosis · DMFS, bias-corrected (MR-RAPS/Debiased IVW) From teeth to bone: dental caries has causal effects on osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture. (2025) | OR 1.171 [1.051, 1.304] | NR | Ungraded |
Daily tooth brushing vs Reference (no/less brushing) Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa · Once daily Prevalence and risk factors for early childhood caries in North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2025) | OR 0.033 [0.004, 0.263] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Caregiver-reported child brushing frequency · Gamified applications (nonexperimental studies) The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. (2025) | Proportion (caregiver report) 58.8% of caregivers reported their children brushed more often when using gamified applications | 1 study | Ungraded |
Lacunar stroke (cases) vs Without lacunar stroke (controls) Periodontal probing depth (PD) · Adults The contribution of oral infectious diseases in lacunar stroke based on meta-analysis and Mendelian… (2025) | MD 0.98 [0.57, 1.38] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
AI systems for caries detection/segmentation on dental X-ray images (predominantly convolutional neural networks; also ANNs, DNNs, DCNN, FCNN, SVMs, decision trees, random forests; e.g. EfficientNet, ResNet, AlexNet) vs Human dentists / trained dental professionals or traditional radiographic interpretation (reference standard / reference models) Diagnostic accuracy (prevalence of accuracy) · Patients undergoing dental X-ray (radiographic) imaging for caries detection · Overall (all X-ray types pooled) Accuracy of artificial intelligence in caries detection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2025) | OR 2.72 [14.65, 14.65] | 14 studies | Ungraded |
Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) vs Reference standard (histology; some ICDAS/radiography) Occlusal caries detection: specificity · Extracted human teeth (in vitro); permanent and primary teeth, occlusal surfaces · Primary dentition Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative light-induced fluorescence in detecting caries of various types and… (2025) | Specificity 0.81 | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Amalgam: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 3: secondary caries · Continent: Europe Clinical Decision-Making of Repair vs. Replacement of Defective Direct Dental Restorations: A Multinational… (2025) | RR 6.53 [4.35, 9.81] | 6 studies | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 2: loss of dental hard substance adjacent to the restoration · Continent: Asia Clinical Decision-Making of Repair vs. Replacement of Defective Direct Dental Restorations: A Multinational… (2025) | RR 0.80 [0.59, 1.07] | 11 studies | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Sensitivity · Imaging modality: Bitewing radiographs Examining the diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence for detecting dental caries across a range of… (2025) | Sensitivity 0.81 [0.72, 0.91] | 5 studies | Ungraded |
Higher national income (GNI per capita) vs Lower national income (GNI categories: middle <=$15,000 / high $15,001-25,000 / very high >$25,000) Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022) · Cross-sectional (survey data 2011-2022), Middle income (GNI <=$15,000) Caries status in 12-year-old children, geographical location and socioeconomic conditions across European… (2025) | MEAN 3.30 [2.57, 4.03] | 12 studies | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Altered cariogenic-biofilm composition/architecture with reduced abundance of cariogenic species · In vitro (multispecies biofilm) Postbiotics and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review. (2025) | no estimate extracted | 1 study | Ungraded |
Caries-active status vs Caries-free status Prevalence (detection frequency) of S. mutans in saliva · Healthy caries-active and caries-free individuals · Saliva sample Streptococcus mutans and Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2025) | OR 3.12 [2.02, 4.83] | 6 studies · 490 participants | Ungraded |
Hall technique vs Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) Treatment success (caries lesion arrest or restoration survival) · Children (aged 3-11 y) with cavitated caries lesions in primary teeth · 6 months, 6-month follow-up Comparative success of minimally invasive treatments for cavitated caries in primary teeth: a network… (2025) | OR 4.87 [1.23, 19.30] | 44 studies | Moderate |
Periodontitis vs Without periodontitis Lacunar stroke · Adults The contribution of oral infectious diseases in lacunar stroke based on meta-analysis and Mendelian… (2025) | OR 5.16 [3.68, 7.24] | 3 studies | Ungraded |
Genetically predicted periodontitis vs Lower genetically predicted periodontitis liability Lumbar spine and pelvis fracture · European GWAS participants · SVMR Maximum Likelihood From teeth to bone: dental caries has causal effects on osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture. (2025) | OR 1.055 [0.983, 1.132] | 490700 participants | Ungraded |
Electronic cigarette use vs Non-smokers IL-8 level · People who use electronic cigarettes · Overall The effects of electronic smoking on dental caries and proinflammatory markers: a systematic review and… (2025) | Cohen's d -0.43 [-1.02, 0.14] | 6 studies | Ungraded |
Dental treatments including dental care and services Willingness to pay for dental care · Potential patients in dental care, including parents or caregivers making treatment decisions; excludes patients with… Decision-making regarding dental treatments - What factors matter from patients' perspective? A systematic… (2025) | Number of articles examining willingness to pay 37 | 37 studies | Ungraded |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries severity (DMFS index, permanent dentition) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (case-control), Case-control studies; DMFS index Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | MD 1.10 [-0.25, 2.45] | 1 study · 105 participants | Ungraded |
Artificial intelligence algorithms for caries detection vs Dental expert or visual-tactile/clinical assessment as reference standard Diagnostic odds ratio · Dental images or diagnostic tests for dental caries detection · Overall (all imaging modalities pooled) Examining the diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence for detecting dental caries across a range of… (2025) | DOR 70.9 [44.9, 111.9] | 20 studies | Ungraded |
Fluoride agent (e.g., NaF/SDF/KF/CaF2) vs No biomimetic remineralization (control) Immediate (24 h) resin-dentin bond strength (MPa) · Artificial caries-affected dentin (ACAD) in extracted permanent human teeth (in vitro) · 24 h (immediate), Self-Etch + chemical ACAD Biomimetic Remineralization Strategies for Dentin Bond Stability-Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD -0.601 [-2.932, 1.730] | 8 studies | Moderate |
Hall technique vs Silver-modified atraumatic restorative treatment (SMART) Treatment success (caries lesion arrest or restoration survival) · Children (aged 3-11 y) with cavitated caries lesions in primary teeth · 6 months, 6-month follow-up Comparative success of minimally invasive treatments for cavitated caries in primary teeth: a network… (2025) | OR 5.61 [1.36, 23.08] | 44 studies | Moderate |
Lacunar stroke (cases) vs Without lacunar stroke (controls) Full-mouth bleeding score (FMBS) · Adults The contribution of oral infectious diseases in lacunar stroke based on meta-analysis and Mendelian… (2025) | MD 31.26 [28.82, 33.70] | 3 studies | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 7: non-stable (mobile) restoration · Continent: Africa Clinical Decision-Making of Repair vs. Replacement of Defective Direct Dental Restorations: A Multinational… (2025) | RR 10.88 [4.01, 29.56] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Replacement of the defective restoration vs Repair of the defective restoration Amalgam: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 1: partial loss or fracture of the restoration · Dentists managing a defective direct amalgam restoration (posterior occlusal Class I; standardized vignette of a… · Not applicable (single time-point survey, June to October 2023), HDI: Very high Clinical Decision-Making of Repair vs. Replacement of Defective Direct Dental Restorations: A Multinational… (2025) | RR 2.99 [1.91, 4.67] | 10 studies · 1754 participants | Ungraded |
Anorexia nervosa (as exposure; diagnosed by DSM-III/III-R/IV/V) vs Healthy individuals without anorexia nervosa (age- and sex-matched controls) Dental plaque accumulation (plaque index) · Patients with anorexia nervosa aged >=12 years (mean age ~18.4; entirely female in reported data), general… The influence of anorexia nervosa on oral health and related parameters potentially relevant to orthodontic… (2025) | In 2 of 3 studies anorexic patients had significantly higher plaque accumulation than controls (Pallier 78.8% vs 53.0%, p<0.01; Paszynska 43.8% vs 13.7%, p<0.001; Milosevic 84% vs 72%, NS); not meta-analyzed | 3 studies · 394 participants | Ungraded |
Experience of dental caries (caries history, e.g. DMFT) vs Adolescents without dental caries Negative oral-health impact on daily performance (OIDP or Child-OIDP) · Adolescents aged 10 to 19 years · Cross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months, Caries-definition subgroup: experience of dental caries Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2025) | PR 1.72 [1.23, 2.43] | 6 studies | Ungraded |
Microinvasive techniques (mostly resin infiltration; incl. resin sealant) vs Non-invasive measures (fluoride varnish/toothpaste, flossing, oral hygiene instruction, sham/standard of care) Radiographic progression of proximal caries lesions · Children and adults with non-cavitated proximal caries lesions in permanent teeth (ages 11-45) · Final follow-up (1 to 7 years across trials), Permanent teeth (Fig. 6, subgroup 2.1.1) Microinvasive interventions in the management of proximal caries lesions in primary and permanent teeth-… (2025) | OR 0.18 [0.10, 0.32] | 7 studies · 296 participants | Ungraded |
High dental-caries prevalence vs Not applicable OHRQoL sum score transformed to 0-100 · Community-dwelling adults aged 60 years or older · Baseline for longitudinal studies, High dental-caries prevalence Association between oral health-related quality of life and structural determinants of health among elderly… (2025) | 71.40 [64.16, 78.63] | NR | Ungraded |
Obesity or overweight (higher BMI, mostly WHO BMI ≥25/≥30; 2 studies used waist circumference) vs Normal weight (not overweight or obese) Dental caries (binary; DMFT-based or dentist-diagnosed caries present) · Adults (≥18 years) · By BMI classification: obesity (vs study-defined non-obese: normal or low weight) Multimorbidity patterns of dental caries and obesity/overweight among adults: a systematic review and… (2025) | OR 1.04 [0.85, 1.23] | NR | Ungraded |
Replacement of the defective restoration vs Repair of the defective restoration Amalgam: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 4: marginal discoloration · Dentists managing a defective direct amalgam restoration (posterior occlusal Class I; standardized vignette of a… · Not applicable (single time-point survey, June to October 2023), HDI: Medium Clinical Decision-Making of Repair vs. Replacement of Defective Direct Dental Restorations: A Multinational… (2025) | RR 5.19 [3.61, 7.45] | 2 studies · 353 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride mouthrinse (0.05-0.32% sodium fluoride or amine fluoride) added to daily fluoride toothpaste vs Control: fluoride toothpaste alone, placebo mouthrinse + toothpaste, or non-fluoride (chlorhexidine) mouthrinse + toothpaste Incidence of initial enamel caries / white spot lesions adjacent to bracket base (subject level, dichotomized) · Children, adolescents and adults undergoing fixed (multi-bracket) orthodontic treatment · End of intervention (6-26 months) to within 6 weeks after debonding Fluoride mouthrinses for prevention of initial caries in orthodontic patients - a systematic review and… (2025) | RD -0.07 [-0.14, -0.01] | 5 studies · 491 participants | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Amalgam: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 6: corrosion · Continent: South America Clinical Decision-Making of Repair vs. Replacement of Defective Direct Dental Restorations: A Multinational… (2025) | RR 2.13 [0.84, 5.39] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Postbiotic toothpaste vs Fluoride toothpaste Salivary immunoglobulin A and pH · Children aged 6 to 12 years · 4 weeks Postbiotics and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review. (2025) | no estimate extracted | 1 study | Ungraded |
Human Development Index (HDI) vs Higher vs lower HDI categories Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL sum score, transformed 0-100) · Community-dwelling elderly persons aged ≥60 years · Very high HDI Association between oral health-related quality of life and structural determinants of health among elderly… (2025) | MEAN 78.4 [71.1, 85.8] | NR | Ungraded |
Microinvasive technique (proximal sealing) vs No intervention Radiographic progression of proximal caries lesions · Children with lesions in both primary and permanent teeth (ages 8-10) · 3.5 years, Both permanent and primary (Fig. 6, subgroup 2.1.3) Microinvasive interventions in the management of proximal caries lesions in primary and permanent teeth-… (2025) | OR 0.16 [0.06, 0.44] | 1 study · 61 participants | Ungraded |
Self-assembling/remineralizing peptide (e.g., P11-4, PAA-PASP) vs Fluoride agent (e.g., NaF/SDF/KF/CaF2) Immediate (24 h) resin-dentin bond strength (MPa) · Artificial caries-affected dentin (ACAD) in extracted permanent human teeth (in vitro) · 24 h (immediate), Etch-and-Rinse + chemical ACAD Biomimetic Remineralization Strategies for Dentin Bond Stability-Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD 4.672 [-1.320, 10.665] | 2 studies | Moderate |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries (presence/absence) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Prospective follow-up (single cohort), Cohort studies Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | OR 2.11 [1.41, 3.17] | 1 study · 544 participants | Very low |