Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

2,297 questions · 3,638 findings · 215 reviews · All outcomes

No studies found 98 · 2.7%GRADE not reported 2,946 · 81%Very low 263 · 7.2%Low 158 · 4.3%Moderate 137 · 3.8%High 36 · 1%

Hydraulic calcium silicate cements (HCSC; MTA or Biodentine) vs Calcium hydroxide (CH)

Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Vital permanent teeth (mature or immature) with deep or extremely deep caries and asymptomatic pulp or reversible pulpitis, undergoing…

At 36-month follow-up, HCSC show higher odds of clinical and radiographic success than CaOH (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.43 to 3.84; ungraded subgroup).

3 findings from 1 review

Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals

Caries in primary teeth: dmft (3 years) · Children and adolescents (<18 years) living with HIV (CLWH)

In cross-sectional studies, the dmft (primary dentition) index did not differ significantly between HIV+ children on ART and HIV-negative peers (MD 0.92, 95% CI -0.09 to 1.93; very low certainty).

2 findings from 1 review

Replacement of the defective restoration vs Repair of the defective restoration

Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 4: marginal discoloration · Dentists managing a defective direct resin composite restoration (posterior occlusal Class I; standardized vignette of a 30-year-old,…

For a defective composite restoration with marginal discoloration, surveyed dentists most often preferred replacement over repair (pooled RR 1.97; p < 0.001); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Hall technique vs Fluoride varnish

Treatment success (caries lesion arrest or restoration survival) · Children (aged 3-11 y) with cavitated caries lesions in primary teeth

At 12 months, the Hall technique had significantly higher treatment success than sodium fluoride varnish (OR 6.38; moderate certainty).

2 findings from 1 review

Ion-releasing restorations (IRR): RMGIC, HVGIC, GIC, compomer/PMRC, giomer vs Composite resin (CR), including bulk-fill composite

Absence of marginal discoloration · Children receiving dental restorations (aged 4-11 years; primary teeth; Class I/II/V cavities)

No significant difference between IRR and CR in marginal discoloration (moderate certainty; downgraded for inconsistency).

1 finding from 1 review

Intervention not reported

Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 7: non-stable (mobile) restoration

The intervention led to higher composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 7:…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) vs Reference standard (histology; some ICDAS/radiography)

Proximal caries detection: sensitivity · Extracted human teeth (in vitro); permanent teeth, proximal (approximal) surfaces

In vitro, QLF pooled sensitivity for proximal caries detection was 0.83 (3 permanent-teeth studies; no primary-dentition data; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Country-level income inequality (Gini index) vs Lower vs higher income inequality categories

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

Older adults in countries with relative income equality (low Gini index) had markedly higher OHRQoL (91.3, 95% CI 90.0 to 92.6) than those in less equal countries; the difference by Gini index was statistically significant (ungraded).

4 findings from 1 review
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Intervention not reported

Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 2: loss of dental hard substance adjacent to the restoration

The intervention showed no clear difference in composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 2: loss…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Partial pulpotomy with permanent restoration after 7-14 days vs No comparator

Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults aged 18 years or older with mature permanent teeth and carious pulp exposure

Permanent restoration after 7-14 days was associated with a pooled success rate of 73.6%.

1 finding from 1 review

Higher per-capita expenditure on dental health care vs Lower per-capita expenditure on dental health care (USD bands: $0-50 / $51-100 / >$100)

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

Countries with higher per-capita dental expenditure had lower mean DMFT (>$100: 0.96; $51-100: 2.14; $0-50: 3.06) (Figure 4); not GRADE-rated.

3 findings from 1 review

Mesoporous silica (SiO2) 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, Silica vs Calcium showed no significant difference in 24 h bond strength (MD 1.964, 95% CI -5.802 to 9.730; Moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Composite resin vs Amalgam restoration

Restoration failure · Permanent posterior teeth (molars/premolars) receiving direct restoration

There was no statistically significant difference in failure risk between composite resin and amalgam restorations in permanent posterior teeth (pooled RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.34; 13 studies; not GRADE-rated, with very high heterogeneity, I2 = 97%).

1 finding from 1 review