What do systematic reviews say?

Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs usual care

It is very uncertain whether package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene… changes caries presence in primary teeth compared with standard care (very low certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 1-6 yrs
  RR 0.73 [0.50, 1.07]
  5 studies · 1326 participants
  Very low

Dietary advice on how to achieve a healthy diet for infants (tailored advice focused on a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol intake) vs usual care

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  dmfs was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (not reported for this comparison).
  0 studies
  No studies found
• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  dmft was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (not reported for this comparison).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Oral health education/promotion (oral hygiene advice plus diet and feeding practice advice) combined with clinical treatment for mother's dentition (basic restorative and preventive; 1 trial included CHX varnish application) vs usual care

Oral health education/promotion (oral hygiene advice plus diet and… showed no clear difference in mother microbiological presence (high-level mutans streptococci /… compared with standard care; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  RR 0.53 [0.28, 1.03]
  1 study · 50 participants
  GRADE not reported

Consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) vs Consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to women's dentition

It is very uncertain whether consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) changes caries presence in primary teeth compared with consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to… (very low certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 4 yrs
  RR 0.62 [0.27, 1.39]
  1 study · 96 participants
  Very low

Prophylaxis (teeth cleaning) and CHX or iodine-NaF solution application in the dentition of women (mothers) vs placebo

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Narrative (Dasanayake 1993; Dasanayake 2002): significant reductions in MS and other bacteria immediately post-treatment; chlorhexidine varnish significantly reduced maternal S. mutans over ~12 months.
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs usual care

It is very uncertain whether package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene… changes caries presence in top front four teeth compared with standard care (very low certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 3 yrs · Higher-protein diet trial
  RR 0.68 [0.42, 1.10]
  1 study · 226 participants
  Very low

Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and sugar avoidance) and feeding practices (e.g. relating to bottle-feeding and sleep) for infants and young children vs usual care

Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and… showed no clear difference in dmfs index score (decayed, missing, filled primary surfaces; range… compared with standard care (low certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 1-3 yrs
  MD -0.29 [-0.58, 0]
  2 studies · 757 participants
  Low

Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs usual care

Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene… showed no clear difference in dmfs index score compared with standard care (low certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 3 yrs
  MD -0.87 [-2.18, 0.43]
  2 studies · 657 participants
  Low
• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 6 yrs
  MD -0.30 [-0.96, 0.36]
  1 study · 187 participants
  Low

Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs usual care

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Two trials (Batliner 2018; Plutzer 2008) provided information on changes in mother oral health behaviours (other data): some benefit in favour of the intervention.
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs usual care

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Birth to 6 yrs
  Plutzer 2008 reported dental attendance as cumulative child-visit categories (other data): intervention children more likely to have 1-2 visits, no difference for 3-4 visits, less likely for >=5 visits.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and sugar avoidance) and feeding practices (e.g. relating to bottle-feeding and sleep) for infants and young children vs usual care

Advice about a healthy diet (including breastfeeding promotion and… probably leads to lower caries presence in primary teeth compared with standard care (moderate certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 3-5 yrs
  RR 0.85 [0.75, 0.97]
  3 studies · 782 participants
  Moderate

Consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) vs Consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to women's dentition

Consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) led to lower child microbiological presence (any mutans streptococci colonisation) compared with consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to…; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  RR 0.60 [0.45, 0.81]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Package of oral health education/promotion including oral hygiene advice for pregnant women, mothers, infants and young children, plus dietary and feeding practice advice for infants and young children vs usual care

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Three trials (Muhoozi 2017; Pereira 2021; Yu 2021) reported changes in child oral health behaviours (other data): some benefit in favour of the intervention.
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported

Oral health education/promotion (oral hygiene advice plus diet and feeding practice advice) combined with clinical treatment for mother's dentition (basic restorative and preventive; 1 trial included CHX varnish application) vs usual care

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  dmfs was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (not reported for this comparison).
  0 studies
  No studies found
• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 18 months
  The mean dmft index score was 0.52 (standard care) versus 0 (advice + treatment group); relative effect not estimable; 50 participants (1 study); very low-certainty evidence.
  1 study · 50 participants
  Very low

High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation during pregnancy (2400 IU/day from pregnancy week 24 to 1 week postpartum, in addition to the recommended 400 IU/day) vs Low-dose (standard) vitamin D supplementation as recommended in national pregnancy guidelines

It is very uncertain whether high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation during pregnancy (2400 IU/day… changes caries presence in primary teeth compared with low-dose (standard) vitamin D supplementation as recommended in… (very low certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 6 yrs
  RR 0.99 [0.70, 1.41]
  1 study · 496 participants
  Very low

Prophylaxis (teeth cleaning) and CHX or iodine-NaF solution application in the dentition of women (mothers) vs placebo

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Two trials (Dasanayake 1993; Dasanayake 2002) reported adverse events related to topical application of the treatment solutions (other data).
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Prophylaxis (teeth cleaning) and CHX or iodine-NaF solution application in the dentition of women (mothers) vs placebo

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  dmft was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (no trial reported it).
  0 studies
  No studies found
• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  dmfs was listed in the SoF table but not assessed (no trial reported it).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Dietary advice on how to achieve a healthy diet for infants (tailored advice focused on a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol intake) vs usual care

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Data from Lapinleimu 1995 on mother oral health behaviour (other data) showed some evidence of benefit in favour of the intervention.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Breastfeeding promotion and support (e.g. individually tailored home-based peer counselling on the importance of breastfeeding, with advice and support for healthy breastfeeding) vs usual care

Breastfeeding promotion and support (e.g. individually tailored… showed no clear difference in caries presence in primary teeth compared with standard care (low certainty).

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Children assessed at 5-6 yrs
  RR 0.96 [0.89, 1.03]
  2 studies · 1148 participants
  Low

Consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) vs Consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to women's dentition

Consumption of xylitol chewing gum by women (mothers) led to higher mother microbiological presence (mutans streptococci colonisation… compared with consumption of CHX/xylitol gum by women, or CHX varnish applied to…; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions with pregnant women, new mothers and other primary caregivers for preventing early childhood caries 2024 · Cochrane All outcomes
  MD 0.50 [0.15, 0.85]
  1 study · 126 participants
  GRADE not reported