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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

2,745 questions · 4,389 findings · 203 reviews · Dental caries

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No studies found 39 · 0.9%GRADE not reported 3,844 · 87.6%Very low 198 · 4.5%Low 137 · 3.1%Moderate 134 · 3.1%High 37 · 0.8%

Restricted partial pulpotomy (pulp removal 2-3 mm from exposure site only) vs Extended partial pulpotomy (pulp removal 2-3 mm from entire pulp chamber with complete deroofing)

Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults (18-45 y) with mature permanent molars, carious exposure and symptomatic irreversible pulpitis

Restricting the lateral extent of partial pulpotomy gives success equivalent to more extensive amputation (97.6% vs 97.5%, p>0.05; ungraded, single trial).

1 finding from 1 review

Simplified caries prediction models (>=2 predictors; microbiome-primary studies excluded), but some pooled models include microbe predictors (Yaxuan 2023: S. mutans; Kim 2018: biofilm acidogenicity/saliva) vs No competing model

Model discrimination (area under the ROC curve, AUC) · Children and adolescents aged 1-18 years

Simplified childhood caries prediction models show moderate pooled discrimination (AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.73-0.84) but with very high heterogeneity (I2=97.3%) and all models at high risk of bias (PROBAST); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

HEMA/EGDMA-based desensitizer vs Calcium-based agent

Immediate (24 h) resin-dentin bond strength (MPa) · Artificial caries-affected dentin (ACAD) in extracted permanent human teeth (in vitro)

In the Self-Etch adhesive + chemical ACAD protocol network, HEMA vs Calcium showed no significant difference in 24 h bond strength (MD 3.023, 95% CI -3.815 to 9.861; Moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Epilepsy (as exposure/condition) vs Healthy participants without epilepsy (control group)

Caries in primary teeth: dmft (3 years) · people with epilepsy

The dmft (primary-teeth caries) index does not differ significantly between people with epilepsy and controls (SMD 0.132, 95% CI -0.22 to 0.484; high certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Electronic cigarette use vs Non-smokers

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) · Humans who use e-cigarettes (mostly adults, often with periodontal disease) assessed for oral proinflammatory markers

Meta-analysis suggests no significant effect of e-cigarette use on the salivary level of Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (7 studies), though heterogeneity was high (I2=95%) and the pooled estimate appears only in Figure 3E (unavailable); GCF data were limited (2 study(ies)) (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Theory-based oral health education/promotion interventions (HBM, TPB, SCT, HAPA, TTM, PMT, SOC, PRECEDE-PROCEED, MI) vs Control (waitlist, routine/standard oral health education, or minimal intervention)

Oral health knowledge (1-9 scale) · school‐age children and adolescents

Theory-based interventions significantly improved oral health knowledge (SMD 1.09; low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Genetically predicted periodontitis vs Lower genetically predicted periodontitis liability

Bone mineral density in forearm · European-ancestry adults

Genetically predicted periodontitis had no causal effect on forearm BMD.

1 finding from 1 review

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

Area under the summary ROC curve · Patients undergoing dental caries detection on dental images (teeth/surfaces across imaging modalities)

The area under the summary ROC curve for AI caries detection is 0.86, indicating high overall diagnostic accuracy; ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Postbiotics from Lactobacillus spp. (cell-free supernatants, biosurfactants, lipoteichoic acid, bacterial lysates) vs No prior SDF application (untreated dentin control)

Proposed inhibition of S. mutans adhesion to tooth surface (mechanism; direct adherence endpoint confirmed only in Ahn 2018) · Cariogenic bacteria (mainly Streptococcus mutans reference strains) and oral biofilms in vitro

Postbiotics inhibit S. mutans adhesion to tooth surfaces in vitro (ungraded narrative synthesis).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Postbiotics and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Exposure 24 h to 7 days · Laboratory (in vitro)
    Postbiotics (mainly biosurfactants and lipoteichoic acid) interfered with S. mutans adhesion to tooth/hydroxyapatite surfaces in 5 in vitro studies; no pooled estimate.
    5 studies
    GRADE not reported

Western/Northern Europe (UN M49 region) vs Eastern/Southern Europe (UN M49 geographical categorization)

Odds of higher caries (DMFT) category · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

In the adjusted ordinal model geographical location was not independently significant for DMFT category (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.24 to 1.35); not GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review