Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

1,052 questions · 1,797 findings · 134 reviews

No studies found 10 · 0.6%GRADE not reported 1,630 · 90.7%Very low 95 · 5.3%Low 23 · 1.3%Moderate 22 · 1.2%High 17 · 0.9%

Mandibular third molar present vs Mandibular third molar absent

Spontaneous space closure · Children and adolescents after extraction of a mandibular permanent first molar (before eruption of the second molar)

In the mandible, presence of the third molar increases odds of spontaneous space closure (OR 2.28; low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Low periodontal-disease prevalence vs Not applicable

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

No statistically significant difference in OHRQoL was reported by periodontal-disease prevalence.

1 finding from 1 review

Genetically predicted periodontitis vs Without periodontitis (lower genetic liability)

Lacunar stroke · European-ancestry adults

Genetically predicted periodontitis was associated with modestly higher odds of lacunar stroke (OR 1.24); ungraded MR, though the FDR-adjusted P was 0.064 for the primary IVW-FE method (ML-adjusted P 0.037).

1 finding from 1 review

High periodontal-disease prevalence vs Not applicable

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

No statistically significant difference in OHRQoL was reported by periodontal-disease prevalence.

1 finding from 1 review

Genetically predicted DMFS (dental caries) vs Without dental caries (lower genetic liability)

Lacunar stroke · European-ancestry adults

Genetically predicted dental caries showed no significant causal association with lacunar stroke (ungraded MR).

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

Hall technique vs Compomer restoration or non-restorative caries treatment

Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth

No comparative effect estimate was reported; the review reports this three-arm comparison but tabulates only compomer failure.

1 finding from 1 review

Adhesive precoated (APC) flash-free brackets (minimal excess adhesive) vs Conventional ceramic brackets

Enamel demineralization (DIAGNOdent score) · Orthodontic patients of any age with fixed braces (new DLs assessed at debond)

Adhesive precoated flash-free brackets showed no demineralization difference, with certainty not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Pre-operative caries fillings or crowns vs Intact teeth

Pulp necrosis · Vital teeth

One study reported a 13% incidence in teeth with pre-operative caries fillings or crowns.

2 findings from 1 review

Dental caries vs Caries-free status

Relative abundance of S. mutans in saliva · Systemically healthy individuals (children and adults, aged 40 months to 50 years) assessed for dental caries

The relative abundance of S. mutans in saliva is significantly higher in caries-active than caries-free individuals (pooled SMD 1.48, 95% CI 0.45 to 2.50), but heterogeneity is very high (I2=90%); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries vs Caries-free status

Oral microbial community composition and diversity (other caries-associated taxa; alpha- and beta-diversity) · Systemically healthy individuals (children and adults, aged 40 months to 50 years) assessed for dental caries

No oral microbial taxon other than S. mutans was consistently associated with caries; alpha-diversity mostly did not differ between caries-active and caries-free groups and beta-diversity findings were mixed (ungraded, narrative).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Streptococcus mutans and Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2025 All outcomes
    Cross-sectional · Clinical oral-microbiome studies; saliva and/or supragingival plaque samples; 7 countries; DNA/RNA-based sequencing or microarray
    Narrative synthesis (no pooled estimate): no bacterial genus or species other than S. mutans was consistently (reported in more than 2 studies) associated with caries-active status (Table 3; 15 of 19 studies for…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Genetically predicted pulp and periapical diseases vs Without pulp and periapical diseases (lower genetic liability)

Lacunar stroke · European-ancestry adults

Genetically predicted pulp and periapical diseases were associated with modestly higher odds of lacunar stroke (OR 1.20); ungraded MR, FDR-adjusted P 0.033.

1 finding from 1 review

Co-presence of Veillonella spp. with Streptococcus mutans vs Streptococcus mutans acidogenesis without Veillonella spp. modulation (conceptual)

Streptococcus mutans acid (lactic acid) production and cariogenic potential · Oral biofilm of children/individuals at risk of dental caries

The review concludes that Veillonella spp. may modulate (often inhibit) S. mutans acid production and compete for lactate substrate, potentially reducing cariogenesis, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Hall technique vs Compomer restoration or non-restorative caries treatment

Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children (aged 3-8 years) with 2-surface occluso-proximal dentine caries in primary molars, no pulp therapy

Preformed metal (Hall) crowns had a low reported annual failure rate (3.1%) versus compomer (14.7%) in one RCT; low quality of evidence (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Early childhood caries (ECC) vs Caries-free primary dentition

Caries development in permanent teeth · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of age)

Early childhood caries increases the likelihood of caries in permanent teeth roughly three-fold, but the certainty of evidence is very low (OR 3.22, 95% CI 2.80 to 3.71).

1 finding from 1 review

AI algorithms (predominantly CNN/deep learning) as index test vs Dental expert / visual-tactile clinical assessment (reference standard)

Sensitivity · Patients undergoing dental caries detection on dental images (teeth/surfaces across imaging modalities)

AI algorithms have high pooled sensitivity (0.85) for detecting dental caries; ungraded, with very high heterogeneity (I2>95%) and evidence of publication bias.

1 finding from 1 review

AI algorithms (predominantly CNN/deep learning) as index test vs Dental expert / visual-tactile clinical assessment (reference standard)

Specificity · Patients undergoing dental caries detection on dental images (teeth/surfaces across imaging modalities)

AI algorithms have high pooled specificity (0.90) for detecting dental caries; ungraded, with very high heterogeneity (I2>95%).

1 finding from 1 review