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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

2,066 questions · 3,346 findings · 178 reviews · Dental caries

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No studies found 48 · 1.4%GRADE not reported 2,789 · 83.4%Very low 208 · 6.2%Low 129 · 3.9%Moderate 136 · 4.1%High 36 · 1.1%

Prenatal vitamin D deficiency (low maternal 25(OH)D during pregnancy) vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries in children · Children aged 6 to 8 years whose mothers' prenatal vitamin D status was assessed

In the single study of children aged 6-8 years, the association was not statistically significant (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.84-1.30); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Gene sequencing (GS) applied to diagnose/manage oral conditions (predominantly 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing of the oral microbiome; also genome-wide/whole-genome sequencing) vs Negligible ('abysmal') effect of gene sequencing; no separate comparator arm (within-sample event contrast in the forest plots)

Noticeable impact of gene sequencing on diagnosing/managing oral conditions · Human patients (any age) with oral-cavity related disorders (e.g. dental caries, periodontitis, gingivitis, peri-implant mucositis,…

Pooled across 8 clinical trials, gene sequencing had a statistically significant impact on diagnosing/managing oral-cavity disorders (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.46-0.54); certainty not GRADE-rated.

2 findings from 1 review

Teledentistry (index test): dental caries diagnosis from photographs taken with DSLR or smartphone cameras; store-and-forward vs Visual or clinical examination

Overall diagnostic accuracy (agreement) · Children and adults with primary or permanent dentition undergoing dental caries assessment

Where reported (about 5 studies, Table 2), overall diagnostic accuracy was high (about 93% to 97.6%); no pooled estimate and certainty not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Genome-wide common variants (additive dosage; present-study GWAS) vs Genome-wide significance threshold (P<5E-8)

Periodontal disease - genome-wide-significant loci (present study) · Japanese adults (present-study cohort)

The present Japanese GWAS found no genome-wide-significant loci for periodontal disease (top suggestive rs12624579/SYNDIG1); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review
  • Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies two novel loci associated with dental caries. 2024 All outcomes
    Lifelong (germline genotype) · Population-based genetic association study (Japanese direct-to-consumer genetic testing cohort) · Present-study GWAS (Japanese)
    In the present Japanese GWAS, no loci reached genome-wide significance for periodontal disease; several loci reached the suggestive level (P<1E-5). Top-associated variant rs12624579 (SYNDIG1 intron).
    1 study · 45525 participants
    GRADE not reported

Grade level 1-4 (first cycle) vs Grade level 5 or above

Dental caries · Primary school children in Ethiopia

Being in grade levels 1-4 was associated with higher odds of dental caries (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.523-3.397; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Second molar at Demirjian stage A-D at extraction vs Second molar at Demirjian stage G-H at extraction

Spontaneous space closure · Children and adolescents after extraction of a mandibular permanent first molar (before eruption of the second molar)

In the mandible, Demirjian stage A-D vs G-H was not significantly associated with space closure (OR 2.75; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Mouth-rinse probiotic vs placebo or control

Salivary pH · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease

In a subgroup analysis, mouth-rinse probiotics reduced salivary pH (MD -0.40, 95%CI -0.54 to -0.26; p-interaction<0.01); not GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review
  • Efficacy of Probiotic Consumption on Oral Outcomes in Children and/or Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis. 2024 All outcomes
    Healthy children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without systemic disease; RCTs from multiple countries (India, Thailand, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Poland, Colombia, Saudi Arabia); mostly school/community and clinic settings · Probiotic presentation: mouth rinse (vs other presentations; p-interaction<0.01)
    MD -0.40 [-0.54, -0.26]
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Nano-silver fluoride (NSF; with or without green tea extract)

Caries arrestment at the surface level · Children and adults with active dental caries (aged 1-50; mostly preschool/school children with primary dentition)

In one trial, nano-silver fluoride arrested more surfaces than SDF (OR 0.52 favoring the comparator; ungraded subgroup).

1 finding from 1 review

High intake of sweets vs Lower/less intake of sweets

Dental caries · Primary school children in Ethiopia

A high intake of sweets was associated with higher odds of dental caries (OR 2.71, 95% CI 1.968-3.451; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Higher number of lost teeth (per one additional lost tooth) vs One fewer missing tooth

Malignant transformation (oral cancer development) · Adults in case-control studies (oral cancer patients vs healthy controls)

The number of missing teeth (per tooth) was not significantly associated with oral cancer (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92-1.01); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Breastfeeding <18 months vs Breastfeeding for ≥18 months

Early childhood caries (ECC) · Preschool children (<6 years)

Breastfeeding for <18 vs ≥18 months was associated with significantly fewer caries (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.18-0.92; substantial heterogeneity; ungraded).

2 findings from 1 review

Disability (developmental, intellectual, or sensory) vs Persons without disabilities

Dental caries prevalence and severity · Persons with disabilities (children and adults with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, or multiple disabilities)…

Dental caries prevalence and severity are high among persons with disabilities in Saudi Arabia (60% to over 80%), and the one comparative autism study reported significantly higher caries than controls; synthesized narratively (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Prenatal vitamin D deficiency (maternal 25(OH)D measured at gestational weeks 24 to 38) vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries in children · Infants and children (aged about 2 to 8 years) whose mothers' vitamin D status was assessed during pregnancy

For prenatal vitamin D measured across gestational weeks 24-38, the OR of dental caries was 1.30 (no CI reported); ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review