Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · school‐age children and adolescents
Theory-based interventions significantly reduced dental plaque (SMD -1.92; moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 8: disruption of occlusal integrity
The intervention led to lower composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 8:…; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
RR 0.40 [0.30, 0.55]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Proximal caries detection: sensitivity · Patients (in vivo); permanent and primary teeth, proximal (approximal) surfaces
In vivo, QLF pooled sensitivity for proximal caries detection was 0.74 (4 studies; ungraded).
2 findings from 1 review
Sensitivity 0.74
4 studies
GRADE not reported
Sensitivity 0.76
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Intervention not reported
Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 6: superficial discoloration
The intervention led to lower composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 6:…; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
RR 0.26 [0.14, 0.49]
10 studies
GRADE not reported
Intervention not reported
Early childhood caries (ECC), prevalence
1 finding from 1 review
Prevalence 51 [35, 67]
7 studies
GRADE not reported
Intervention not reported
Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 6: superficial discoloration
The intervention showed no clear difference in composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 6:…; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
RR 0.44 [0.15, 1.29]
2 studies
GRADE not reported
Postoperative pain and analgesic intake · Adults (18-45 y) with mature permanent molars, carious exposure and symptomatic irreversible pulpitis
Restricted partial pulpotomy causes less early postoperative pain and analgesic use than extended amputation (p<0.05; ungraded, single trial).
1 finding from 1 review
Same RCT (Ramani 2024): restricted PP had significantly lower postoperative pain scores on days 1 and 2 (p<0.05) and required significantly less analgesic intake (p<0.05) than extended PP.
1 study · 96 participants
GRADE not reported
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Weaning after 18 months was associated with higher odds of ECC (OR 2.417).
1 finding from 1 review
OR 2.417 [1.340, 4.358]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults (>=18 y) with mature permanent teeth, carious exposure and normal/reversibly inflamed pulp
At 1 year, partial pulpotomy and direct pulp capping (both calcium hydroxide) gave similarly low success in reversibly inflamed pulps (34.5% vs 31.8%; ungraded, single trial).
2 findings from 1 review
Success rate (%) 34.5 vs 31.8
1 study · 51 participants
GRADE not reported
Success rate (%) 11.1 vs 5.9
1 study · 44 participants
GRADE not reported
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 Phosphate showed no significant difference in 24 h bond strength (MD -0.699, 95% CI -7.633 to 6.234; Moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 4: marginal discoloration
The intervention showed no clear difference in composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 4:…; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
RR 1.17 [0.35, 3.87]
2 studies
GRADE not reported
Development of >=1 new carious lesion (caries incidence) · Animal caries models (mice, rats, hamsters) challenged/colonized with Streptococcus mutans; one transgenic-plant antigen-expression system
In preclinical animal models, anticaries vaccines significantly reduced dental caries risk (pooled RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.62; random-effects), but the evidence is ungraded and limited to short-term animal studies.
1 finding from 1 review
RR 0.53 [0.46, 0.62]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Haemoglobin (g/dL) · Children or adolescents
Haemoglobin tends to be lower in children with dental caries, but the pooled difference is not statistically significant (MD -2.20 g/dL, 95% CI -4.59 to 0.19; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Sensitivity
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Individuals assessed for periodontal health (mainly children and adolescents, age >2 years)
Persons with orofacial cleft have a higher plaque index than healthy controls (MD 0.29, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.34; low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 4: marginal discoloration
The intervention led to higher composite: Preference for replacement over repair - Scenario 4:…; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
RR 1.95 [1.50, 2.54]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults aged 18 years or older with mature permanent teeth and carious pulp exposure
Partial pulpotomy with tri-calcium silicate cements (MTA/Biodentine) has a much higher success rate than with calcium hydroxide in adults (86.8% vs 34.3%; ungraded).
2 findings from 1 review
Proper surface staining · Children receiving dental restorations (aged 4-11 years; primary teeth; Class I/II/V cavities)
No significant difference between IRR and CR in surface staining (moderate certainty; downgraded for inconsistency).
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary alpha-amylase · Patients with anorexia nervosa aged >=12 years (mean age ~18.4; entirely female in reported data), general community-dwelling population
There is no significant difference in salivary alpha-amylase between anorexia nervosa patients and healthy controls (MD 6.32 U/l, 95% CI -6.14 to 18.79; low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults (>=18 y) with mature permanent teeth and deep carious pulp exposure
Immediate permanent restoration after partial pulpotomy is associated with much higher success than delayed restoration (89.9% immediate vs 23.2% beyond 14 days; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review