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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
30% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Not specified Arrest of dentine caries · Children with active dentine caries in primary teeth Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | 30% SDF was reported as an effective intervention to arrest dentine caries on primary teeth. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Psychological therapies (cognitive 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… · long-term (>3 to 6 months) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | MD -3.20 [-4.22, -2.18] | 1 study · 30 participants | Very low |
Anticonvulsants (gabapentin) vs Placebo Change in quality of life (QoL) · 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 | SoF2: No included studies reported change in QoL. | 0 studies | No studies |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Durability of restoration · 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 0.50 [0.02, 14.60] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Dietary supplements (Catuama herbal compound) vs Placebo Adverse effects: insomnia · 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), Catuama Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | RR 2.69 [0.11, 63.96] | 1 study · 72 participants | Very low |
Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) graft vs No grafting 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 -51.60 [-63.43, -39.77] | 1 study · 36 participants | Low |
Topical treatments (capsaicin oral rinse) 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), capsaicin oral rinse Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | Capsaicin oral rinse (Marino 2010; Silvestre 2012) contributes to the topical treatments short-term symptom-relief comparison (insufficient/contradictory). Silvestre 2012 data not presented due to 23% first-phase… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Operator preference/fatigue in operator · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | One study (Evans 2000): 11 dental practitioners expressed a preference in 73 of 77 'dentist/patient encounters', significantly in favour of conventional drill rather than laser (P < 0.001); main difficulty with laser… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Chemically cured zinc phosphate cement vs Chemically cured glass ionomer cement Decalcification (demineralisation around bands) · Patients with full arch fixed orthodontic appliances with bands attached to molars (patients with cleft lip/palate or… · Approximately 12 months (to end of treatment) Adhesives for fixed orthodontic bands (2016) · Cochrane | No statistical analysis. Kvam 1983 (28 participants): 4 teeth affected by small decalcification spots (reversed by polishing and fluoride), all with the zinc phosphate cement. Galarraga 2003 (40 participants): 8… | 2 studies · 68 participants | Ungraded |
Dietary supplements (alpha lipoic acid) 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 | SoF5: No included studies reported change in feeling of dryness. | 0 studies | No studies |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Caries removal (clinical) · 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 | RR 1.00 [0.99, 1.01] | 2 studies · 190 participants | Low |
Intervention NR Dental caries prevalence in permanent teeth (cavitated lesions) · Children aged 11-13 years in Latin America and the Caribbean · Studies with data collected after 2000 (21st century), Brazil Does the Decline in Caries Prevalence of Latin American and Caribbean Children Continue in the New Century?… (2016) | Prevalence 0.56 [0.53, 0.60] | 51 studies · 87961 participants | Ungraded |
12% silver diamine fluoride (SDF), single (one-off) application 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 one-off application of 12% SDF was found ineffective to arrest caries (Yee 2009). | 1 study | Ungraded |
Preoperative analgesics (analgesics given before dental treatment) vs Placebo or no analgesics Cost · Children and adolescents aged up to 17 years having dental treatment (orthodontic treatment, fillings, pulp treatment,… Preoperative analgesics for additional pain relief in children and adolescents having dental treatment (2016) · Cochrane | None of the included studies reported cost. PUB3: 'The [three/four] studies did not measure ... cost or completion of treatment.' | 0 studies | No studies |
Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) with bovine bone mineral + resorbable collagen membrane vs No GTR (no grafting) 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 1.12 [0.86, 1.46] | 1 study · 59 participants | Low |
Brain wave music (BWM) vs No special instructions (control) Adverse effects of pain treatment · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | Adverse effects for BWM: Not measured. | NR | No studies |
Oral appliance or functional orthopaedic appliance vs Placebo or no treatment Daytime symptom: irritability (Brouillette questionnaire) · 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 | RR 0.32 [0.07, 1.41] | 1 study · 23 participants | Very low |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Conventional mechanical caries removal (standard drill; handpiece with a bur) Duration of treatment · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | MD 0.90 [0.59, 1.21] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Psychological therapies (cognitive therapy) 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 | SoF8: No included study reported change in taste. | 0 studies | No studies |
Oral appliance or functional orthopaedic appliance vs Placebo or no treatment Signs and symptoms of respiratory disease: mouth breathing, nasal airway resistance (clinical assessment/rhinomanometry/fibroscopy) · Children with obstructive sleep apnoea (aged 15 years or younger) Oral appliances and functional orthopaedic appliances for obstructive sleep apnoea in children (2016) · Cochrane | The included study did not assess this outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Motivational interview plus oral health education vs Oral health education Adverse events: Clinically important specific adverse events · 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 |
Dietary supplements (alpha lipoic acid +/- adjunctive ingredients) vs Placebo Adverse effects: intermittent facial skin rash · 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 8.71 [0.37, 205.80] | 1 study · 80 participants | Very low |
Systemic beta carotene or carotenoids (incl. lycopene) vs Placebo or no treatment Oral cancer development · People with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia · 24 months Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia to prevent oral cancer (2016) · Cochrane | RR 0.71 [0.24, 2.09] | 2 studies · 132 participants | Very low |
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 · Seale and Glickman 2007 (all 376 conference dentists; source mislabels as 'endodontists', but only 102 were endodontists) Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 59 [54, 64] | 1 study · 376 participants | Ungraded |
Laser (Er:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, or Nd:YAG) vs Other caries removal systems (chemo-mechanical, sono-abrasion, or air-abrasion) Outcome NR · Children, adolescents and adults with caries in deciduous and permanent teeth (age 3.5 to 84 years) Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | 'Types of interventions' allowed comparison of laser with other caries-removal systems (chemo-mechanical, sono-abrasion, air-abrasion); no included study used such a comparator (all nine included trials compared laser… | NR | No studies |
Perioperative infraorbital nerve block vs Placebo (sham block) Duration of postoperative analgesia (in hours) · 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 | MD 8.26 [5.41, 11.11] | 1 study · 60 participants | Very low |
Acupuncture/acupressure vs Placebo or no intervention Patient‐reported pain intensity or pain relief (VAS, NRS or categorical scale) · People of any age undergoing any type of orthodontic treatment Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Monitoring (any means of observation, supervision, keeping under review, measuring or testing at intervals) vs No monitoring 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 1.07 [1.00, 1.14] | 1 study · 1682 participants | Moderate |
Motivational interview plus oral health education vs Oral health education Self regulation: Average score (Treatment Self Regulation Questionnaire, high score = good) · People with serious mental illness (all included participants had schizophrenia); majority aged 18 to 65 years per… · Introjected Oral health education (advice and training) for people with serious mental illness (2016) · Cochrane | MD 1.1 [0.22, 1.98] | 1 study · 56 participants | Ungraded |
Any experimental intervention (surgical or non-surgical) vs None (placebo or no treatment) Adverse events · People of any age and either sex, in any setting, with BRONJ; bisphosphonate exposure past or current; includes people… Interventions for treating bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) (2016) · Cochrane | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
Amisulpride (antipsychotic, 50 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) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | Bogetto 1999 (amisulpride) included in the antidepressants/antipsychotics comparison but data not presented due to excessive attrition (19/24; 79%) in the placebo arm. | 1 study | 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) · 6 months follow-up Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.00 [0.21, 4.78] | 3 studies · 146 participants | Very low |
Anticonvulsants (gabapentin) 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 | SoF2: No included studies reported change in taste. | 0 studies | No studies |
Psychological intervention: structured telephone call (verbal follow‐up and reassurance) vs Placebo or no intervention Patient‐reported pain intensity or pain relief (VAS, NRS or categorical scale) · People of any age undergoing any type of orthodontic treatment Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Herbal extracts (tea components; Chinese herbal mixture; freeze-dried black raspberry gel) vs Placebo or no treatment Oral cancer development · People with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia to prevent oral cancer (2016) · Cochrane | SoF 4 (Herbal extracts vs placebo), Cancer development: SoF cell 'Not measured'. Effects text: cancer development was among the outcomes in Tsao 2009 (green tea extract) but it was not possible to analyse the data… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Ice/cryotherapy vs Placebo or no intervention Patient‐reported pain intensity or pain relief (VAS, NRS or categorical scale) · People of any age undergoing any type of orthodontic treatment Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment (2016) · Cochrane | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Perioperative infraorbital nerve block vs Intravenous analgesia Heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure · 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 | The included studies did not report these outcomes. | 0 studies | No studies |
Oral appliance or functional orthopaedic appliance vs Placebo or no treatment Reduction of upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) and body-weight/BMI development (polysomnography) · Children with obstructive sleep apnoea (aged 15 years or younger) Oral appliances and functional orthopaedic appliances for obstructive sleep apnoea in children (2016) · Cochrane | The included study did not assess this outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
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 Denture-induced stomatitis · Nursing home residents (mean age 78.3 to 86.0 years; more than 66% women; 62.1% to 87.3% with dental prostheses) · 6 to 18 months Oral health educational interventions for nursing home staff and residents (2016) · Cochrane | SoF: Denture-induced stomatitis (method of Budtz-Jorgensen; follow-up 6 to 18 months). No meta-analysis (data not comparable). 417 participants (2 RCTs); low quality. Comment: 2 studies at unclear (Frenkel 2001) or… | 2 studies · 417 participants | Low |
Cholinergics (bethanechol) 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 | SoF4: 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 · Stangvaltaite 2013 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 51 [44, 58] | 1 study · 212 participants | Ungraded |
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy plus standard care (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) vs Standard care alone (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) Healing of osteonecrosis - healed ('healed' vs 'improved', 'unchanged' or 'worse') · People with BRONJ (mean age ~66 years; most treated with bisphosphonates for cancer (multiple myeloma, breast cancer)… · 12 months Interventions for treating bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) (2016) · Cochrane | RR 1.20 [0.39, 3.65] | 1 study · 24 participants | Ungraded |
Antidepressants (trazodone 200 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) Interventions for treating burning mouth syndrome (2016) · Cochrane | MD 1.26 [-0.24, 2.76] | 1 study · 37 participants | Very low |
Perioperative infraorbital nerve block vs Placebo (sham block) Pain measured by valid instruments (mean postoperative pain score) · Children up to 13 years of age, undergoing cleft lip repair surgery · 0 to 4 hours (peak) Infraorbital nerve block for postoperative pain following cleft lip repair in children (2016) · Cochrane | SMD -3.54 [-6.13, -0.95] | 3 studies · 120 participants | Very low |
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 · Schwendicke 2016 (Germany) Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 68 [64, 71] | 1 study · 622 participants | Ungraded |
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy plus standard care (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) vs Standard care alone (surgery, antibiotics, oral rinse) Healing of osteonecrosis - healed ('healed' vs 'improved', 'unchanged' or 'worse') · People with BRONJ (mean age ~66 years; most treated with bisphosphonates for cancer (multiple myeloma, breast cancer)… · 3 months Interventions for treating bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) (2016) · Cochrane | RR 3.60 [0.87, 14.82] | 1 study · 45 participants | Very low |
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 · Schwendicke 2013 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 50 [47, 53] | 1 study · 799 participants | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Arrest of dentine caries · 38% SDF twice-yearly vs annual application (higher arrest with twice-yearly) Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a… (2016) | no estimate extracted | 1 study | 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 · McBride 2010 Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and… (2016) | Proportion (%) 35 [32, 38] | 1 study · 812 participants | Ungraded |
Oral health education (advice and training) vs Standard care (oral health advice not specifically emphasised beyond usual care) Oral health: Not having seen a dentist in the past year · 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 |