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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. Every word you type has to appear somewhere in the question, and the closest matches are ranked first.
10,375 questions in 429 reviews · Oral Health
current versionsNo studies 1,344 · 13%Ungraded 6,832 · 65.9%Very low 1,228 · 11.8%Low 613 · 5.9%Moderate 290 · 2.8%High 68 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Antidepressants (trazodone 200 mg/day) vs Placebo Adverse effects: dizziness · People with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), that is, oral mucosal pain with no dental or medical cause for such… · short-term (up to 3 months) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | RR 11.61 [1.66, 81.04] | 1 study · 37 participants | Very low |
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) vs No special instructions (control) Patient‐reported pain intensity or pain relief (VAS, NRS or categorical scale) · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment · 3 days Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | MD -27.91 [-40.10, -15.72] | 1 study · 24 participants | Ungraded |
Topical bleomycin vs Placebo or no treatment Clinical resolution (oral lesion not completely resolved) · People with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia · 3 months Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia to prevent oral cancer (2016) · Cochrane | RR 0.55 [0.29, 1.04] | 1 study · 22 participants | Very low |
Psychological therapies (cognitive therapy) vs Placebo Change in feeling of dryness · People with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), that is, oral mucosal pain with no dental or medical cause for such… · short-term (up to 3 months) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | SoF8: No included study reported change in feeling of dryness. | 0 studies | No studies |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Oen 2007 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 18 [11, 27] | 1 study · 85 participants | Ungraded |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Weber 2013 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 21 [12, 34] | 1 study · 53 participants | Ungraded |
Intermediate restorative material (IRM) root-end filling vs SuperEBA Healing - 1 year or longer · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 1 year or longer Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.11 [0.99, 1.24] | 1 study · 194 participants | Very low |
Perceived psychosocial stress vs No or lower perceived stress GCF elastase activity and non-surgical periodontal treatment outcome (salivary cortisol, ICTP measured; no effect reported) · Adults with periodontitis needing non-surgical periodontal treatment · 6-month follow-up Social-Biological Interactions in Oral Disease: A 'Cells to Society' View. (2016) | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 45 participants | Ungraded |
Perceived stress vs Lower perceived stress Gingival inflammation and GCF IL-1β IL-6 and IL-8 · Adults with gingivitis or periodontitis from a private periodontics practice Social-Biological Interactions in Oral Disease: A 'Cells to Society' View. (2016) | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 80 participants | Ungraded |
Papilla base incision (PBI) vs Complete papilla mobilisation (sulcular incision) Postoperative pain (VAS 0-100) - 3 days · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 3 days Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | MD -22.00 [-26.81, -17.19] | 1 study · 38 participants | Ungraded |
Educational intervention with information and practical components (theoretical oral health education plus practical skills training) for nursing staff and/or residents vs (Optimised) usual care Nutritional status · Nursing home residents (mean age 78.3 to 86.0 years; more than 66% women; 62.1% to 87.3% with dental prostheses) Oral health educational interventions for nursing home staff and residents (2016) · Cochrane | OR 1.0 [0.3, 3.1] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Job-stress-related depression vs Women without depression Periodontitis and GCF IL-6 · Women on long-term sick leave for depression Social-Biological Interactions in Oral Disease: A 'Cells to Society' View. (2016) | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 49 participants | Ungraded |
Benzodiazepines (topical clonazepam) vs Placebo Change in feeling of dryness · People with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), that is, oral mucosal pain with no dental or medical cause for such… · short-term (up to 3 months) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | SoF3: No included studies reported change in feeling of dryness. | 0 studies | No studies |
Selective or stepwise carious tissue removal vs Non-selective or complete carious tissue removal Proportion of dentists selecting selective or stepwise removal · Dentists surveyed about deep carious lesions in permanent teeth · Chisini 2015 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 62 [55, 69] | 1 study · 171 participants | Ungraded |
Perioperative infraorbital nerve block vs Placebo (sham block) Time to feeding after surgery · Children up to 13 years of age, undergoing cleft lip repair surgery Infraorbital nerve block for postoperative pain following cleft lip repair in children (2016) · Cochrane | This outcome was not reported. | 0 studies | No studies |
Electromagnetic radiation (low-level laser therapy) vs Placebo Relief of burning/discomfort (symptom relief; pain intensity) · People with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), that is, oral mucosal pain with no dental or medical cause for such… · short-term (up to 3 months) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | MD -30.36 [-44.22, -16.50] | 1 study · 58 participants | Very low |
Professionally applied 5% sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish vs Untreated lesions (single-arm before vs after proportion) Remineralisation of early enamel caries (proportion of lesions remineralised) · Children with early enamel caries or white spot lesions Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | Proportion 0.636 [0.360, 0.912] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Nano-silver fluoride vs Not specified Arrest of dentine caries · Children with active dentine caries Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | A randomised trial using nano-silver fluoride found it was effective to arrest dentine caries without causing dark staining. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Adhesively bonded amalgam restorations in conventional preparations utilising deliberate retention (all bonding agents) vs Traditional non‐bonded amalgam restorations Economic data: direct costs of materials and any reported associated indirect costs · Adults and adolescents with permanent posterior molar and premolar teeth suitable for Class I and II, but excluding… Adhesively bonded versus non‐bonded amalgam restorations for dental caries (2016) · Cochrane | Economic data: direct costs of materials and any reported associated indirect costs - not measured | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | - | See comment | No study addressed this outcome | 0 studies | No studies |
Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) graft vs No grafting Radiographic healing - 1 year · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 1 year Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | Angerame 2015 (7 test, 4 control): no significant difference in healing of the lesion at 1 year; significant difference only at 2- and 3-month follow-up. Small preliminary study; no robust pooled analysis. | 1 study · 11 participants | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Marginal integrity of restorations · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · 2 years follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.00 [0.21, 4.74] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Physical barriers (tongue protector) vs Placebo Change in taste · People with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), that is, oral mucosal pain with no dental or medical cause for such… · short-term (up to 3 months) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | SoF7: No included studies reported change in taste. | 0 studies | No studies |
Intervention NR Remineralisation of early enamel caries · NaF varnish plus chlorhexidine or calcium fluoride vs NaF varnish alone (no significant added benefit) Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | no estimate extracted | 3 studies | Ungraded |
NSAIDs (ketorolac oral rinse; systemic celecoxib) vs Placebo or no treatment Safety of the intervention (adverse effects) · People with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia · over 3 months Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia to prevent oral cancer (2016) · Cochrane | SoF 3, Safety of the intervention over 3 months: systemic celecoxib (1 study) - 32 intervention participants reported 56 adverse effects, 20 placebo participants reported 20; 4 grade 3 events; 2 discontinued. Ketorolac… | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Monitoring (any means of observation, supervision, keeping under review, measuring or testing at intervals) vs No monitoring Oral health: Not brushing teeth twice a day · People with serious mental illness (all included participants had schizophrenia); majority aged 18 to 65 years per… Oral health education (advice and training) for people with serious mental illness (2016) · Cochrane | No study reported useable data | 0 studies | No studies |
Professionally applied sodium fluoride (NaF) varnish vs No fluoride treatment Dimensional change (size) of early enamel caries lesions · Children with white spot lesions / early enamel caries Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | One clinical trial (Du 2012) evaluating dimensional change reported that the average size of early enamel caries in children receiving professional NaF therapy was significantly smaller than in those with no fluoride… | 1 study | Ungraded |
NSAIDs (ketorolac oral rinse; systemic celecoxib) vs Placebo or no treatment Improvement of histological features (not improved) · People with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia to prevent oral cancer (2016) · Cochrane | SoF 3, Histological changes: 'Not measured'. Effects text: 'Histological changes were not among the outcomes in the studies testing NSAIDs.' | 0 studies | No studies |
Post‐treatment communication (text messaging) vs No communication (no text message) Adverse effects of pain treatment · People undergoing orthodontic treatment Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | Adverse effects: Not measured. | NR | No studies |
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy plus standard care (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) vs Standard care alone (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) Healing of osteonecrosis - improvement ('healed' or 'improved' vs 'unchanged' or 'worse') · People with BRONJ (mean age ~66 years; most treated with bisphosphonates for cancer (multiple myeloma, breast cancer)… · 18 months Interventions for treating bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.75 [0.51, 5.98] | 1 study · 18 participants | Ungraded |
Low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) vs Placebo (or no irradiation) Patient‐reported pain intensity or pain relief (VAS, NRS or categorical scale) · Adolescents and adults undergoing orthodontic treatment · 6 hours Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | MD -10.63 [-22.33, 1.07] | 2 studies · 118 participants | Ungraded |
Oral health education (advice and training) vs Standard care (oral health advice not specifically emphasised beyond usual care) Leaving the study early · People with serious mental illness (all included participants had schizophrenia); majority aged 18 to 65 years per… Oral health education (advice and training) for people with serious mental illness (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.67 [0.45, 6.24] | 1 study · 50 participants | Moderate |
Oral health education (advice and training) vs Standard care (oral health advice not specifically emphasised beyond usual care) Dental state: No clinically important change in plaque index · People with serious mental illness (all included participants had schizophrenia); majority aged 18 to 65 years per… Oral health education (advice and training) for people with serious mental illness (2016) · Cochrane | MD -0.5 [-0.62, -0.38] | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Antidepressants (trazodone 200 mg/day) vs Placebo Adverse effects: tremor · People with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), that is, oral mucosal pain with no dental or medical cause for such… · short-term (up to 3 months) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | RR 2.11 [0.21, 21.32] | 1 study · 37 participants | Very low |
Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) preoperative evaluation vs Conventional periapical radiography Healing - 1 year · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 1 year Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.02 [0.70, 1.47] | 1 study · 39 participants | Very low |
Perioperative infraorbital nerve block vs Intravenous analgesia Adverse events · Children up to 13 years of age, undergoing cleft lip repair surgery Infraorbital nerve block for postoperative pain following cleft lip repair in children (2016) · Cochrane | 2 out of 3 studies reported this outcome. Both studies reported no difference between groups (Rajamani 2007 and Simion 2008: no adverse events attributable to either technique; Delgado 2005 did not report). | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Participant discomfort (vibration, smell, noise) · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) · during treatment Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | Five studies reported participant discomfort (Belcheva 2014; Evans 2000; Hadley 2000; Keller 1998; Liu 2006). Keller 1998 (90 adults): discomfort significantly lower with laser (Analysis 1.6). Hadley 2000 (66 adults):… | 5 studies | Ungraded |
Oral health education (advice and training) vs Standard care (oral health advice not specifically emphasised beyond usual care) Oral health: Not brushing teeth twice a day · People with serious mental illness (all included participants had schizophrenia); majority aged 18 to 65 years per… Oral health education (advice and training) for people with serious mental illness (2016) · Cochrane | No study reported useable data | 0 studies | No studies |
Motivational interview plus oral health education vs Oral health education Quality of life: Chronic pain · People with serious mental illness (all included participants had schizophrenia); majority aged 18 to 65 years per… Oral health education (advice and training) for people with serious mental illness (2016) · Cochrane | No study reported useable data | 0 studies | No studies |
Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) root-end filling vs Intermediate restorative material (IRM) Prevalence of pain - 1 day · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 1 day Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.01 [0.84, 1.22] | 1 study · 100 participants | Low |
Papilla base incision (PBI) vs Complete papilla mobilisation (sulcular incision) Postoperative pain (VAS 0-100) - 2 days · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 2 days Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | MD -1.50 [-6.34, 3.34] | 1 study · 38 participants | Ungraded |
Oral appliance or functional orthopaedic appliance vs Placebo or no treatment Reduction of apnoea to less than one episode per hour (polysomnography) · Children with obstructive sleep apnoea (aged 15 years or younger) · 6 months Oral appliances and functional orthopaedic appliances for obstructive sleep apnoea in children (2016) · Cochrane | It proved impossible to know how many patients had apnoea index < 1 (primary outcome). | 1 study | Ungraded |
Papilla base incision (PBI) vs Complete papilla mobilisation (sulcular incision) Postoperative pain (VAS 0-100) - 1 day · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 1 day Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | MD -2.25 [-7.17, 2.67] | 1 study · 38 participants | Very low |
Educational intervention with information and practical components (theoretical oral health education plus practical skills training) for nursing staff and/or residents vs (Optimised) usual care Oral health-related attitude of nursing staff · Nursing home nursing staff (approximately 95% female in the two contributing studies) Oral health educational interventions for nursing home staff and residents (2016) · Cochrane | SMD 0.30 [-0.23, 0.83] | 2 studies · 459 participants | Ungraded |
Experimental chewing adjuncts (bite wafers or chewing gum) vs No chewing gum, placebo, or control (no adjunct) Patient‐reported pain intensity or pain relief (VAS, NRS or categorical scale) · Adolescents undergoing orthodontic treatment · 6 hours Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | MD -1.39 [-3.24, 0.64] | 1 study · 39 participants | Ungraded |
Professionally applied 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Active dentine caries at baseline (single-arm before vs after proportion) Arrest of dentine caries (proportion of surfaces arrested) · Children with active dentine caries (primary and permanent teeth) Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | Proportion 0.659 [0.412, 0.907] | 5 studies | Ungraded |
Benzodiazepines (systemic clonazepam 0.5 mg/day) vs Placebo Relief of burning/discomfort (symptom relief; pain intensity) · People with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), that is, oral mucosal pain with no dental or medical cause for such… · short-term (up to 3 months), systemic clonazepam Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | MD 0.00 [-1.86, 1.86] | 1 study · 20 participants | Very low |
Motivational interview plus oral health education vs Oral health education Dental state: No clinically important change in plaque index · People with serious mental illness (all included participants had schizophrenia); majority aged 18 to 65 years per… Oral health education (advice and training) for people with serious mental illness (2016) · Cochrane | MD -0.6 [-1.02, -0.18] | 1 study · 56 participants | Very low |
Topical bleomycin vs Placebo or no treatment Safety of the intervention (adverse effects) · People with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia · up to 3 months Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia to prevent oral cancer (2016) · Cochrane | SoF 5, Safety of the intervention up to 3 months: 'All patients in the bleomycin group developed erythema with erosion by the end of the applications, whereas erythema developed in the placebo group. Discomfort was… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis vs Placebo Occurrence of postoperative infection - 4 weeks · People requiring retreatment of periapical lesions (failed root canal therapy) · 4 weeks Endodontic procedures for retreatment of periapical lesions (2016) · Cochrane | RR 0.49 [0.09, 2.64] | 1 study · 250 participants | Very low |
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy plus standard care (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) vs Standard care alone (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) Healing of osteonecrosis - improvement ('healed' or 'improved' vs 'unchanged' or 'worse') · People with BRONJ (mean age ~66 years; most treated with bisphosphonates for cancer (multiple myeloma, breast cancer)… · Last contact Interventions for treating bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.78 [0.97, 3.28] | 1 study · 46 participants | Ungraded |