Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

102 questions · 104 findings · 10 reviews · Oral Health

No studies found 38 · 36.5%GRADE not reported 38 · 36.5%Very low 15 · 14.4%Low 10 · 9.6%Moderate 3 · 2.9%High 0 · 0%

Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care (e.g., training/education of non-dental primary care professionals, policy/financing and health-insurance changes, colocation of dental and medical services, interprofessional and community-health-worker collaboration, teledentistry, integrated oral health assessment tools, school-based activities) vs No integration / usual care (or pre-integration baseline; many included studies uncontrolled)

Access to oral healthcare (referral pathways, documentation processes, operating efficiencies, staffing, visits for oral health issues, uptake of fluoride varnish/other preventive treatment, and visits to an oral health professional) · People of all ages and abilities served through primary care and related settings (children, pregnant women, older adults in…

Most strategies to integrate oral health into primary care were associated with improved access to oral healthcare (19 studies, narrative synthesis; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care: a systematic review. 2023 All outcomes
    Primary care, community, school, and aged-care/residential/nursing-home settings
    Access to oral healthcare was the primary outcome most studied (n=19). Most studies reported results favouring the integration strategy, including improvements in referral pathways, documentation processes, operating…
    19 studies
    GRADE not reported

Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care (e.g., training/education of non-dental primary care professionals, policy/financing and health-insurance changes, colocation of dental and medical services, interprofessional and community-health-worker collaboration, teledentistry, integrated oral health assessment tools, school-based activities) vs No integration / usual care (or pre-integration baseline; many included studies uncontrolled)

Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of staff and patients regarding oral health · People of all ages and abilities served through primary care and related settings (children, pregnant women, older adults in…

Integration strategies were generally associated with positive oral health knowledge, attitudes and perceptions among staff and patients (16 studies, narrative synthesis; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care: a systematic review. 2023 All outcomes
    Primary care, community, school, and aged-care/residential/nursing-home settings
    Knowledge/attitudes/perceptions of staff and patients was the second most studied outcome (n=16). Patient and staff perceptions on various aspects of the integration strategy were usually reported as positive.…
    16 studies
    GRADE not reported

Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care (e.g., training/education of non-dental primary care professionals, policy/financing and health-insurance changes, colocation of dental and medical services, interprofessional and community-health-worker collaboration, teledentistry, integrated oral health assessment tools, school-based activities) vs No integration / usual care (or pre-integration baseline; many included studies uncontrolled)

Barriers and facilitators to implementation of the integration strategy (qualitative) · People of all ages and abilities served through primary care and related settings (children, pregnant women, older adults in…

Key barriers to implementing integration strategies were time/staff/resource constraints and lack of organisational support, while facilitators were professionals' knowledge and attitudes and supportive governance/leadership (qualitative; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care: a systematic review. 2023 All outcomes
    Primary care, community, school, and aged-care/residential/nursing-home settings
    The most commonly studied qualitative outcomes were barriers and facilitators related to the strategy implementation process. Reported barriers were time and staff constraints, resource limitations and lack of…
    15 studies
    GRADE not reported

Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care (e.g., training/education of non-dental primary care professionals, policy/financing and health-insurance changes, colocation of dental and medical services, interprofessional and community-health-worker collaboration, teledentistry, integrated oral health assessment tools, school-based activities) vs No integration / usual care (or pre-integration baseline; many included studies uncontrolled)

Oral disease outcomes, including dental caries estimates · People of all ages and abilities served through primary care and related settings (children, pregnant women, older adults in…

Most studies reported improved oral disease outcomes with integration strategies (8 of 9 studies improved, 1 no change; 9 studies, narrative synthesis; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care: a systematic review. 2023 All outcomes
    Primary care, community, school, and aged-care/residential/nursing-home settings
    Nine studies reported oral disease outcomes, seven of which measured change in dental caries estimates. Eight of the nine studies reported improved oral disease outcomes; one (Vichayanrat 2012) reported no change in…
    9 studies
    GRADE not reported

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Self-reported joint pain when chewing · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Depression · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

Occlusal splint showed no clear difference in depression compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Severity of joint noise · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

It is very uncertain whether occlusal splint changes severity of joint noise compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,… (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Participant satisfaction or quality of life · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

Occlusal splint led to lower participant satisfaction or quality of life compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Muscle pain when chewing · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

It is very uncertain whether occlusal splint changes muscle pain when chewing compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,… (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Joint pain at rest · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

It is very uncertain whether occlusal splint changes joint pain at rest compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,… (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Frequency of joint noise · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

It is very uncertain whether occlusal splint changes frequency of joint noise compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,… (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Muscle pain at rest · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

It is very uncertain whether occlusal splint changes muscle pain at rest compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,… (very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Somatisation · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

Occlusal splint showed no clear difference in somatisation compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Occlusal splint vs Physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training, laser, TENS, manual therapy)

Range of mandibular motion · People with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)

Occlusal splint showed no clear difference in range of mandibular motion compared with physical therapy (ultrasound, exercise, sensorimotor training,…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Oral cytology (e.g. OralCDx brush biopsy, CytID) vs Reference standard: examination and clinical evaluation by a physician/clinician with specialist knowledge or training (long-term follow-up accepted for those screened negative)

Outcome not reported · Apparently healthy adults not reporting symptoms of OPMD or OSCC, attending an organised screening or surveillance programme, or screened…

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

COE with blood/salivary (biomarker) analysis vs Reference standard: examination and clinical evaluation by a physician/clinician with specialist knowledge or training (long-term follow-up accepted for those screened negative)

Outcome not reported · Apparently healthy adults not reporting symptoms of OPMD or OSCC, attending an organised screening or surveillance programme, or screened…

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Remote screening of the oral cavity (mobile application/telemedicine) vs Reference standard: examination and clinical evaluation by a physician/clinician with specialist knowledge or training (long-term follow-up accepted for those screened negative)

Specificity for detection of oral cavity cancer/OPMD · Apparently healthy adults not reporting symptoms of OPMD or OSCC, attending an organised screening or surveillance programme, or screened…
1 finding from 1 review

Remote screening of the oral cavity (mobile application/telemedicine) vs Reference standard: examination and clinical evaluation by a physician/clinician with specialist knowledge or training (long-term follow-up accepted for those screened negative)

Sensitivity for detection of oral cavity cancer/OPMD · Apparently healthy adults not reporting symptoms of OPMD or OSCC, attending an organised screening or surveillance programme, or screened…
1 finding from 1 review