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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%

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)

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

Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) vs Reference standard (bitewing radiography, ADA classification, ICDAS II)

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

Gamified oral health interventions (mobile apps, serious games, augmented reality, game-based education) vs Conventional or traditional oral health education, or non-gamified interventions (comparator varied; several studies were single-arm/uncontrolled)

Oral hygiene behavior (brushing habits, preventive dental visits, dietary choices) · Children or adolescents

Gamified interventions appear to improve oral hygiene behaviors (brushing habits, preventive dental visits) in children, but the evidence is narrative and ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • The Application of Gamification in Children's Oral Health Management: Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Post-intervention (predominantly short-term; long-term follow-up in a minority of studies) · School-based settings, specialized dental clinics, and home-based environments
    A gesture-based motion-capture game enhanced brushing independence and skill retention (P<.001) [Kang 2021]; 58.8% of caregivers reported their children brushed more often when using gamified applications [France…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Genetically predicted DMFS (dental caries) vs Lower genetically predicted DMFS

Forearm fracture · European GWAS participants

The SVMR Weighted Median interval included the null.

3 findings from 1 review

Severe early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls

Streptococcus relative abundance · Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls

Streptococcus mean relative abundance was slightly higher in the S-ECC group; no comparative effect estimate or CI was reported.

1 finding from 1 review

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)

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

Partial pulpotomy vs Full (complete) pulpotomy

Oral health-related quality of life · Mature permanent (molar) teeth with deep caries and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis (spontaneous pain)

No included study reported oral health-related quality of life (a planned outcome), so no evidence is available.

1 finding from 1 review

Postbiotic products (postbiotic toothpaste; heat-killed/postbiotic oral lozenges; inactivated-bacteria tablets) vs Placebo, fluoride toothpaste, or standard post-filling care (varies by trial)

Streptococcus mutans count · Humans at risk of dental caries (children aged 6-12 years; adults with dental caries)

Postbiotic products reduce salivary S. mutans counts in human trials, though not always significantly (ungraded narrative synthesis).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Postbiotics and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review. 2025 All outcomes
    Daily for 14 days to 4 weeks · Clinical; salivary/plaque sampling
    Three RCTs reported reduced salivary S. mutans counts after postbiotic intervention; the reduction was statistically significant in Lin 2022 but non-significant in Basir 2022; no pooled estimate.
    3 studies
    GRADE not reported

Partial pulpotomy (PP) with calcium hydroxide vs Direct pulp capping (DPC) with calcium hydroxide

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

Electronic cigarette use vs Non-smokers (non-users)

Periodontitis / periodontal disease and periodontal parameters · Adult e-cigarette (ENDS) users (general oral health; predominantly natural dentition)

E-cigarette users appear more likely to develop periodontal disease and worse periodontal parameters than non-smokers (narrative synthesis; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Mesoporous silica (SiO2) vs Calcium phosphate agent (e.g., CPP-ACP, Ca/P-PILP, niobophosphate)

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

Anticaries vaccine or antibody (DNA, recombinant protein, nanoparticle-adjuvanted, live-vector, plant-based, or passive IgY immunization) targeting S. mutans vs Control (unvaccinated / empty vector / PBS / placebo animals)

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