Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

1,692 questions · 2,586 findings · 180 reviews · Dental caries

No studies found 194 · 7.5%GRADE not reported 1,937 · 74.9%Very low 248 · 9.6%Low 136 · 5.3%Moderate 52 · 2%High 19 · 0.7%

Preformed metal crown (PMC) vs Resin-modified glass-ionomer cement + composite resin (modified open-sandwich restoration)

Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth after vital or non-vital pulp therapy

In one RCT, preformed metal crowns had an annual failure rate of 2.5% after 2 years.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries vs Adolescents without dental caries

Negative oral-health impact on daily performance (OIDP or Child-OIDP) · Adolescents (10-19 years)

In the Child-OIDP subgroup, dental caries is associated with a worse oral-health impact: PR 1.66 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.31) from 6 studies (I2=96%); ungraded, and not statistically different from the OIDP subgroup (p=0.96).

5 findings from 1 review
  • Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes
    Cross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Instrument subgroup: Child-OIDP
    PR 1.66 [1.19, 2.31]
    6 studies
    GRADE not reported
  • Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes
    Cross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Instrument subgroup: OIDP (all 3 studies)
    PR 1.68 [0.89, 3.17]
    3 studies
    GRADE not reported
  • Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes
    Cross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Instrument subgroup: OIDP, sensitivity analysis excluding Krisdapong et al.
    PR 1.21 [1.15, 1.28]
    2 studies
    GRADE not reported
Show 2 more findings
  • Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes
    Cross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Overall (all meta-analyzed studies pooled; both instruments and both caries definitions)
    PR 1.52 [1.15, 2.01]
    9 studies
    GRADE not reported
  • Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes
    Cross-sectional (concurrent exposure and outcome); oral impacts recalled over the prior 6 months · School-based (17/20 studies), plus household and secondary-data surveys; low-, middle- and high-income countries (Brazil, Thailand, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Iran, Serbia, Nepal, India, South Africa, China) · Caries-definition subgroup: presence of dental caries
    PR 1.19 [0.77, 1.84]
    3 studies
    GRADE not reported

Low edentulism 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 edentulism prevalence.

1 finding from 1 review

High edentulism 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 edentulism prevalence.

1 finding from 1 review

Preformed metal crown (PMC) vs Resin-modified glass-ionomer cement + composite resin (modified open-sandwich restoration)

Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children with carious primary molars treated by pulpotomy (vital pulp therapy)

Preformed metal crowns had a low annual failure rate (2.5%) in primary molars after pulpotomy, but the evidence is of low quality (single high-risk-of-bias split-mouth RCT; not GRADE-rated).

2 findings from 1 review

High dental-caries prevalence vs Not applicable

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

The review reported higher OHRQoL in the low than high dental-caries-prevalence category.

1 finding from 1 review

Periodontal disease (present) vs Individuals without periodontal disease (by LOA)

Poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Children aged 3-12 years

Periodontal disease was associated with higher odds of poor OHRQoL (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.12-1.18; 3 studies; no heterogeneity; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

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

Pre-operative radiotherapy (plus surgery) vs surgery

Total mortality · People with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (ICD-O C01-C06) or oropharynx (ICD-O C09-C10); head and neck cancer trials…

Pre-operative radiotherapy (plus surgery) showed no clear difference in total mortality compared with surgery alone; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review