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Search review questions

Each row is one question a systematic review asked: who, what, compared with what, and which outcome, with the effect it found and how certain that is. Words match anywhere in the field.

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Intervention or exposure

Comparison

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Review versions

1,325 questions in 34 reviews · Oral medicine and oral cancer

current versions

No studies 164 · 12.4%Ungraded 841 · 63.5%Very low 209 · 15.8%Low 72 · 5.4%Moderate 38 · 2.9%High 1 · 0.1%

Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.

Question	Effect	Evidence	Status / GRADE
Antifungal drugs partially absorbed from GI tract (miconazole, clotrimazole) vs Placebo or no treatment Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.16 [0.06, 0.46]	4 studies · 292 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract (fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole) vs Placebo or no treatment Amount of analgesia · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	No trial reported this planned secondary outcome for any comparison in this review	NR	No studies
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract vs Antifungal drugs not absorbed from GI tract Systemic fungal infection · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.59 [0.33, 1.06]	8 studies · 2103 participants	Ungraded
Itraconazole vs Fluconazole Death associated with fungal infection · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.14 [0.01, 2.73]	1 study · 202 participants	Ungraded
Itraconazole vs Fluconazole Good compliance · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.95 [0.85, 1.05]	1 study · 202 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs partially absorbed from GI tract (miconazole, clotrimazole) vs Placebo or no treatment Empirical antifungal treatment · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 3.38 [0.15, 77.12]	1 study · 32 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract vs Antifungal drugs not absorbed from GI tract Death associated with fungal infection · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 1.25 [0.38, 4.13]	3 studies · 981 participants	Ungraded
Nystatin vs Chlorhexidine plus nystatin Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 1.82 [0.73, 4.54]	1 study · 50 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs not absorbed from GI tract vs Placebo or no treatment Death associated with fungal infection · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.16 [0.01, 2.95]	1 study · 51 participants	Ungraded
Chlorhexidine vs Nystatin Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.89 [0.36, 2.21]	1 study · 34 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract (fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole) vs Placebo or no treatment Relief of pain · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	No trial reported this planned secondary outcome for any comparison in this review	NR	No studies
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract vs Antifungal drugs not absorbed from GI tract Good compliance · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 1.05 [1.03, 1.08]	1 study · 820 participants	Ungraded
Nystatin vs Placebo or no treatment Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.92 [0.78, 1.08]	3 studies · 153 participants	Ungraded
Nystatin vs Natamycin Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 1.07 [0.83, 1.37]	1 study · 28 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract vs Antifungal drugs not absorbed from GI tract Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.4 [0.21, 0.76]	8 studies · 2103 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs not absorbed from GI tract vs Placebo or no treatment Systemic fungal infection · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.1 [0.01, 1.75]	2 studies · 71 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract (fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole) vs Placebo or no treatment Toxicity (adverse events probably due to drug) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 1.18 [0.84, 1.67]	3 studies · 871 participants	Ungraded
Ketoconazole vs Itraconazole Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	1 study (Caselli 1990); no evidence of a difference; not estimable/not pooled	1 study	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract (fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole) vs Placebo or no treatment Oral candidiasis (present) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.47 [0.29, 0.78]	7 studies · 1153 participants	Ungraded
Antifungal drugs absorbed from GI tract vs Antifungal drugs not absorbed from GI tract Toxicity (adverse events probably due to drug) · Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both Interventions for preventing oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment (2007) · Cochrane	RR 0.88 [0.33, 2.3]	6 studies · 2018 participants	Ungraded
Tongue scraping (mechanical tongue cleaning) vs Placebo or no intervention (nothing) Outcome NR · Adults (over 18 years) with a clinical or self-assessed diagnosis of halitosis · Minimum 4 weeks (planned) Tongue scraping for treating halitosis (2006) · Cochrane	No eligible randomized controlled trials comparing tongue scraping with placebo or no intervention were identified.	0 studies	No studies
Tongue scraper or tongue cleaner (One Drop Only tongue cleaner; Tongue-Putzer scraper; polystyrene scraper) vs Toothbrush (used to clean the tongue) Volatile sulfur compound (VSC) levels measured by portable sulfide monitor · Adults (over 18 years) with a clinical or self-assessed diagnosis of halitosis · Immediately to 35 min post-intervention (Seemann 2001); 1 week (Pedrazzi 2004) Tongue scraping for treating halitosis (2006) · Cochrane	No summary of findings table or GRADE assessment (pre-GRADE review); narrative synthesis, data not pooled. Seemann 2001: peak VSC reduction 42% with the tongue cleaner, 40% with the tongue scraper and 33% with the…	2 studies · 40 participants	Ungraded
Tongue scraper or tongue cleaner (One Drop Only tongue cleaner; Tongue-Putzer scraper; polystyrene scraper) vs Toothbrush (used to clean the tongue) Adverse effects (tongue trauma, nausea) and acceptability · Adults (over 18 years) with a clinical or self-assessed diagnosis of halitosis · 1 week (Pedrazzi 2004) Tongue scraping for treating halitosis (2006) · Cochrane	Pedrazzi 2004: six of ten (60%) participants complained of nausea and one participant of tongue trauma, only with the toothbrush; all participants were receptive to the tongue scraper. Seemann 2001: no adverse effects…	2 studies	Ungraded
Tongue scraper or tongue cleaner (One Drop Only tongue cleaner; Tongue-Putzer scraper; polystyrene scraper) vs Toothbrush (used to clean the tongue) Self-expressed (perceived) or organoleptic (human nose) assessment of halitosis · Adults (over 18 years) with a clinical or self-assessed diagnosis of halitosis · Minimum 4 weeks (planned) Tongue scraping for treating halitosis (2006) · Cochrane	Neither of the two included trials provided any self expressed (perceived) or organoleptic (human nose) assessments of halitosis (the review's primary outcomes); no data.	0 studies	No studies
Tongue scraping (mechanical tongue cleaning) vs Mouthwash or other chemical intervention Outcome NR · Adults (over 18 years) with a clinical or self-assessed diagnosis of halitosis · Minimum 4 weeks (planned) Tongue scraping for treating halitosis (2006) · Cochrane	No randomized controlled trials comparing mechanical tongue cleaning with mouthwashes were identified; the review notes "the somewhat unexpected lack of randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of…	0 studies	No studies