Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

2,745 questions · 4,389 findings · 203 reviews · Dental caries

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%

Partial pulpotomy vs Full (complete) pulpotomy

Postoperative pain (VAS) · Mature permanent (molar) teeth with deep caries and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis (spontaneous pain)

Postoperative pain was similar between partial and full pulpotomy in one RCT but significantly greater after partial pulpotomy in the other (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Children with dental caries vs Children without dental caries

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

Dental caries (ECC/severe ECC) as exposure/grouping vs Caries-free controls

Relative abundance of Veillonella spp. · Individuals assessed for dental caries, predominantly children with early childhood caries (ECC) or severe ECC (age about 1 to 4 years)

Evidence on whether Veillonella spp. relative abundance is higher or lower in children with dental caries than caries-free controls is inconsistent across 7 small observational studies; no pooled estimate was produced and the evidence is ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) vs Healthy controls without cleft

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

Inhibition of mixed-species S. mutans-C. albicans biofilm and C. albicans virulence-gene (HWP1/ALS1/ALS3) downregulation
1 finding from 1 review

Calcium phosphate agent (e.g., CPP-ACP, Ca/P-PILP, niobophosphate) vs No biomimetic remineralization (control)

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, Calcium Phosphate vs Control showed no significant difference in 24 h bond strength (MD 1.539, 95% CI -1.738 to 4.817; Moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Partial pulpotomy with tri-calcium silicate material (MTA or Biodentine) vs Partial pulpotomy with calcium hydroxide

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

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

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

Anorexia nervosa (as exposure; diagnosed by DSM-III/III-R/IV/V) vs Healthy controls

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

Partial pulpotomy with immediate (same-visit) permanent restoration vs Partial pulpotomy with delayed permanent restoration (7-14 days or >14 days)

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

E-cigarette aerosol / e-liquid exposure (flavored and unflavored; nicotine and non-nicotine) vs Unexposed controls / unflavored e-liquid / conventional cigarette smoke

Cariogenic and commensal oral bacteria (S. mutans and commensal streptococci growth, adhesion, biofilm) · Oral bacteria (streptococci), dental hard tissue (enamel/dentin) and e-liquids studied in vitro/ex vivo (with a few clinical microbiome…

Most in vitro studies indicate e-cigarette aerosol/e-liquid (especially flavored/high-concentration) disrupts normal oral flora and favors cariogenic S. mutans growth and biofilm, plausibly increasing caries risk; not pooled (ungraded, narrative).

1 finding from 1 review

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs placebo

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

At 6 months, SDF had significantly higher treatment success than placebo (OR 33.62).

1 finding from 1 review

Anorexia nervosa (as exposure; diagnosed by DSM-III/III-R/IV/V) vs Healthy controls

Salivary flow rate (unstimulated) · Patients with anorexia nervosa aged >=12 years (mean age ~18.4; entirely female in reported data), general community-dwelling population

Anorexia nervosa probably reduces unstimulated salivary flow rate versus healthy controls (MD -0.27 ml/min, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.24; moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Partial pulpotomy vs Full (complete) pulpotomy

Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Mature permanent (molar) teeth with deep caries and symptoms indicative of irreversible pulpitis (spontaneous pain)

Within two high-quality RCTs, partial and full pulpotomy achieved similar 1-year clinical/radiographic success for irreversible pulpitis (pooled 83% vs 90%), with no significant difference (high certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

HEMA/EGDMA-based desensitizer vs Fluoride agent (e.g., NaF/SDF/KF/CaF2)

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, HEMA vs Fluorine showed no significant difference in 24 h bond strength (MD 2.500, 95% CI -2.603 to 7.603; Low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

AI algorithms (predominantly CNN/deep learning) as index test vs Dental expert / visual-tactile clinical assessment (reference standard)

Negative likelihood ratio · Patients undergoing dental caries detection on dental images (teeth/surfaces across imaging modalities)

A negative AI test lowers caries probability substantially (LR- 0.17; negative post-test probability 6%); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review