What do systematic reviews say?

Fluoridated milk vs Non-fluoridated milk

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Fluoridated milk for preventing dental caries 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No evidence found. (No information was reported by the included study.)
  0 studies
  No studies found

Fluoridated milk vs Non-fluoridated milk

Fluoridated milk may leads to lower caries in primary teeth: dmft (3 years) compared with non-fluoridated milk (low certainty).

• Fluoridated milk for preventing dental caries 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3 years
  MD -1.14 [-1.86, -0.42]
  1 study · 166 participants
  Low

Fluoridated milk vs Non-fluoridated milk

Fluoridated milk may leads to lower caries in permanent teeth: DMFT (3 years) compared with non-fluoridated milk (low certainty).

• Fluoridated milk for preventing dental caries 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3 years
  MD -0.13 [-0.24, -0.02]
  1 study · 166 participants
  Low

Timing of first dental visit vs Reference visit timing

An early first dental visit was associated with much lower odds of ECC (OR 0.042).

• Prevalence and risk factors for early childhood caries in North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes

  Egypt (Kabil 2017) · Early visit
  OR 0.042 [0.013, 0.136]
  1 study
  GRADE not reported
• Prevalence and risk factors for early childhood caries in North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 All outcomes

  Egypt (Kabil 2017) · Delayed/late visit
  OR 0.248 [0.072, 0.852]
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

CarieScan Pro device vs Reference standard (histology, excavation, or enhanced visual examination)

• Electrical conductance for the detection of dental caries 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Up to 3 months between index test and reference standard (in vivo studies)
  CarieScan Pro (3 studies, 244 tooth surfaces): sensitivity ranged from 0.55 to 0.91. No evidence of a difference in accuracy by device type (Chi2=0.05, df=1, P=0.82).
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported

CarieScan Pro device vs Reference standard (histology, excavation, or enhanced visual examination)

• Electrical conductance for the detection of dental caries 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Up to 3 months between index test and reference standard (in vivo studies)
  CarieScan Pro (3 studies, 244 tooth surfaces): specificity ranged from 0 to 1.00.
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported

High dental-caries prevalence vs Not applicable

The review reported higher OHRQoL in the low than high dental-caries-prevalence category.

• Association between oral health-related quality of life and structural determinants of health among elderly… 2025 All outcomes

  Baseline for longitudinal studies · Community · High dental-caries prevalence
  71.40 [64.16, 78.63]
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported

All dental health care expenditure strata vs No comparator

The overall pooled mean DMFT was 2.10 across all dental health care expenditure strata.

• Caries status in 12-year-old children, geographical location and socioeconomic conditions across European countries: A… 2025 All outcomes

  2011-2022 · Europe · Overall
  Mean DMFT 2.10 [1.61, 2.59]
  32 studies
  GRADE not reported

Referral to a specific dental treatment facility vs Generic advice letter to see a dentist

It is very uncertain whether referral to a specific dental treatment facility changes number of caries in primary teeth (dt index) compared with generic advice letter to see a dentist (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  median 11 months
  MD -0.20 [-0.72, 0.32]
  1 study · 362 participants
  Very low

Referral to a specific dental treatment facility vs Generic advice letter to see a dentist

It is very uncertain whether referral to a specific dental treatment facility changes number of caries in permanent teeth (DT index) compared with generic advice letter to see a dentist (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  median 11 months
  MD 0.30 [-0.03, 0.63]
  1 study · 362 participants
  Very low

Dental fillings (restorations) vs Dental extractions

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Dental fillings for the treatment of caries in the primary dentition 2009 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Minimum 6 months follow-up
  "No studies were found that compared restorations versus extractions or no treatment as an intervention in children with caries in the primary dentition."
  Studies not reported
  No studies found

Oral health education only (verbal, written, or audio-visual education) delivered by non-dental health workers vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Oral-health-education-only interventions showed at most a marginal effect on tooth-level caries (dmft SMD -0.11, 95% CI -0.21 to -0.00; 2 studies; not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.) · Oral health education only (vs comprehensive intervention)
  SMD -0.11 [-0.21, 0.00]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Oral health education only (verbal, written, or audio-visual education) delivered by non-dental health workers vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Oral-health-education-only interventions did not show a statistically significant effect on surface-level caries (dmfs SMD -0.20, 95% CI -0.43 to 0.03; 2 studies; not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.) · Oral health education only (vs comprehensive intervention)
  SMD -0.20 [-0.43, 0.03]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Behaviour change / oral health promotion interventions delivered by non-dental professionals and health workers (nurses, midwives, health visitors, community health workers) vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers produced a small, statistically significant reduction in caries experience at the surface level (dmfs SMD -0.15, 95% CI -0.25 to -0.04; 12 studies); the review judged the overall evidence to be of low quality (not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.)
  SMD -0.15 [-0.25, -0.04]
  12 studies
  GRADE not reported

Behaviour change / oral health promotion interventions delivered by non-dental professionals and health workers (nurses, midwives, health visitors, community health workers) vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers produced a small-to-moderate, statistically significant reduction in caries experience at the tooth level (dmft SMD -0.34, 95% CI -0.54 to -0.13; 6 studies); the review judged the overall evidence to be of low quality (not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.)
  SMD -0.34 [-0.54, -0.13]
  6 studies
  GRADE not reported

Individually designed, patient-centred preventive programme: dietary counselling (snacking timing, regular meals, fermentable carbohydrates) plus toothbrushing counselling, delivered by trained dental hygienists (a multi-intervention) vs Basic prevention offered as standard in public dental clinics

• One‐to‐one dietary interventions undertaken in a dental setting to change dietary behaviour 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  2 to 4 years
  Table 2: 52% (130) versus 53% (131) at follow-up (baseline 41% versus 44%). No significant change.
  1 study · 497 participants
  GRADE not reported

Individually designed, patient-centred preventive programme: dietary counselling (snacking timing, regular meals, fermentable carbohydrates) plus toothbrushing counselling, delivered by trained dental hygienists (a multi-intervention) vs Basic prevention offered as standard in public dental clinics

• One‐to‐one dietary interventions undertaken in a dental setting to change dietary behaviour 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  2 to 4 years
  Table 2: 86% (215) intervention versus 83% (205) control at follow-up (baseline 74% versus 77%). No significant change.
  1 study · 497 participants
  GRADE not reported

Individually designed, patient-centred preventive programme: dietary counselling (snacking timing, regular meals, fermentable carbohydrates) plus toothbrushing counselling, delivered by trained dental hygienists (a multi-intervention) vs Basic prevention offered as standard in public dental clinics

• One‐to‐one dietary interventions undertaken in a dental setting to change dietary behaviour 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  2 to 4 years
  Table 2: 77% (193) versus 75% (185) at follow-up (baseline 71% versus 69%). No significant change.
  1 study · 497 participants
  GRADE not reported

Individually designed, patient-centred preventive programme: dietary counselling (snacking timing, regular meals, fermentable carbohydrates) plus toothbrushing counselling, delivered by trained dental hygienists (a multi-intervention) vs Basic prevention offered as standard in public dental clinics

• One‐to‐one dietary interventions undertaken in a dental setting to change dietary behaviour 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  2 to 4 years
  Table 2: 71% (178) versus 68% (168) at follow-up (baseline 69% versus 65%). No significant change.
  1 study · 497 participants
  GRADE not reported

Individually designed, patient-centred preventive programme: dietary counselling (snacking timing, regular meals, fermentable carbohydrates) plus toothbrushing counselling, delivered by trained dental hygienists (a multi-intervention) vs Basic prevention offered as standard in public dental clinics

• One‐to‐one dietary interventions undertaken in a dental setting to change dietary behaviour 2012 · Cochrane All outcomes

  2 to 4 years
  Table 2: 77% (193) versus 81% (200) at follow-up (baseline 83% versus 74%, a significant baseline difference). No significant change at follow-up.
  1 study · 497 participants
  GRADE not reported