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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

624 questions · 782 findings · 62 reviews

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No studies found 13 · 1.7%GRADE not reported 657 · 84%Very low 76 · 9.7%Low 23 · 2.9%Moderate 13 · 1.7%High 0 · 0%

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

Probing pocket depth (PPD/PD) · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment

Aligners may reduce pocket depth compared with fixed appliances in adults at 6-12 weeks (MD -0.42 mm, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.12; very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

White spot lesions (WSLs), patient level · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment

A single study found no significant difference in white spot lesion formation (patient level) between aligners and fixed appliances in adolescents at 9 months (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.10 to 1.04; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Gingivitis (assessed by gingival index or WHO criteria) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Gingival health at 6 months · Children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah)

Gingivitis and high plaque levels were common among UAE children and adolescents, more likely in females and older children (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) vs Healthy controls without IBD

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Patients with IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) and controls without IBD

Most included studies reported higher dental caries indices (DMF-t/DMF-s) in IBD patients (especially ulcerative colitis), but findings were inconsistent across studies and were not meta-analyzed or GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review
  • Oral Health Status in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review. 2021 All outcomes
    Hospital/clinic-based case-control and cross-sectional studies in 11 countries; 15 studies total (1748 participants: 1104 Crohn's disease, 534 ulcerative colitis, 110 IBD-form unspecified)
    Not meta-analyzed (heterogeneity of caries indices). Abstract: "in most studies, patients with IBD were characterized by higher values of caries indices." Table 3 examples (IBD/subtype vs control): Zhang 2020 DMF-t…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Tooth wear assessment (primary teeth) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Tooth wear prevalence · School children (primary dentition) in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi)

One study reported a very high prevalence of tooth wear (97.6%) in the primary dentition of school children in Abu Dhabi, associated with older age, mouth breathing and anterior deep bite (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

S. mutans presence · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment

A single study found no significant difference in S. mutans presence between aligners and fixed appliances in adolescents at 1 month (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.14; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review