Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

1,954 questions · 2,335 findings · 149 reviews · All outcomes

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No studies found 436 · 18.7%GRADE not reported 1,370 · 58.7%Very low 254 · 10.9%Low 173 · 7.4%Moderate 80 · 3.4%High 22 · 0.9%

Low income vs High family income

Poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Children aged 3-12 years

Children from low-income families had higher odds of poor OHRQoL (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.11-1.21; 4 studies; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

The Association of Oral Health Status, demographic characteristics and socioeconomic determinants with Oral… 2020 All outcomes
Upper-middle-income country (Brazil); studies 2010-2014
OR 1.16 [1.11, 1.21]
4 studies
GRADE not reported

Clinical examination with risk-based recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Patient satisfaction with actual care received (1-7 scale) · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with risk-based recall showed no clear difference in patient satisfaction with actual care received (1-7 scale) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD 0.03 [-0.03, 0.09]
1 study · 1607 participants
GRADE not reported

Clinical examination with risk-based recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Oral health behaviour (1-9 scale) · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with risk-based recall showed no clear difference in oral health behaviour (1-9 scale) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD 0.00 [-0.01, 0.01]
1 study · 1608 participants
GRADE not reported

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 12-month recall

Total time (examination plus treatment) (minutes) · Regular-attending primary-care dental patients aged 3, 16 or 18 years at entry (aged up to 20; low caries risk)

Clinical examination with 24-month recall showed no clear difference in total time (examination plus treatment) (minutes) compared with clinical examination with 12-month recall; GRADE not reported.

2 findings from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
2 years · 3-5 year olds (primary teeth)
MD -10 [-26.7, 6.7]
1 study · 58 participants
GRADE not reported
Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
2 years · 16-20 year olds (permanent teeth)
MD -23.7 [-43.28, -4.12]
1 study · 127 participants
GRADE not reported

Resin-based fissure sealant plus fluoride varnish vs Fluoride varnish

Number of visits to the dentist for repair of sealant or fluoride varnish application · Children and adolescents (general population, aged under 20 years)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Pit and fissure sealants versus fluoride varnishes for preventing dental decay in the permanent teeth of children and… 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
The study (Splieth 2001) did not measure the number of visits to the dentist for repair of sealant or fluoride varnish application.
0 studies
No studies found

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Oral health attitudes (1-7 scale) · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with 24-month recall showed no clear difference in oral health attitudes (1-7 scale) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD 0.17 [-0.01, 0.35]
1 study · 308 participants
GRADE not reported

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Dental caries · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with 24-month recall showed no clear difference in dental caries: number of tooth surfaces with any caries (ICDAS 1-6) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall (moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD -0.60 [-2.54, 1.34]
1 study · 271 participants
Moderate

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Cost (patient perspective): total cost per patient (GBP) · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with 24-month recall led to lower cost (patient perspective): total cost per patient (GBP) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD -53.00 [-76.91, -29.09]
1 study · 375 participants
GRADE not reported

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 12-month recall

Periodontal disease · Regular-attending primary-care dental patients aged 3, 16 or 18 years at entry (aged up to 20; low caries risk)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
2 years
Summary of findings 1 lists 'Periodontal disease: Not reported' for the 24-month versus 12-month comparison (Wang 1992 did not measure it).
0 studies
No studies found

Clinical examination with risk-based recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Dental caries: prevalence of root caries · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with risk-based recall showed no clear difference in dental caries: prevalence of root caries compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
RR 0.93 [0.76, 1.13]
1 study · 1306 participants
GRADE not reported

Preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) vs Full-term birth (37 weeks or more gestation)

Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 6 years or younger (preschool children)

In children aged 3 years or younger, preterm birth was not associated with early childhood caries (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.37); certainty not graded.

2 findings from 1 review

Relationship between preterm, low birth weight and early childhood caries: a meta-analysis of the case-control and… 2020 All outcomes
Community/epidemiological studies of preschool children (multiple countries) · Children aged 3 years or younger
OR 0.90 [0.59, 1.37]
2 studies
GRADE not reported
Relationship between preterm, low birth weight and early childhood caries: a meta-analysis of the case-control and… 2020 All outcomes
Community/epidemiological studies of preschool children (multiple countries) · Overall
OR 1.59 [1.36, 1.87]
16 studies · 21279 participants
GRADE not reported

All exposure-OHRQoL estimates pooled for publication-bias correction (meta-trim sensitivity); specific exposure set not defined in source vs Not specified

Poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Children aged 3-12 years

A trim-and-fill sensitivity analysis pooling every exposure estimate gave an overall OR of 0.17 (95% CI 0.13-0.21) after correcting for significant publication bias (Fig. 13); this combined estimate spans heterogeneous exposures and is a publication-bias sensitivity result (ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

The Association of Oral Health Status, demographic characteristics and socioeconomic determinants with Oral… 2020 All outcomes
Children across multiple countries (Brazil, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, New Zealand) · Trim-and-fill adjusted (publication-bias corrected), random-effects
OR 0.17 [0.13, 0.21]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported

Resin-based fissure sealant plus fluoride varnish vs Fluoride varnish

Progression of dentinal carious lesions into enamel or dentine · Children and adolescents (general population, aged under 20 years)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Pit and fissure sealants versus fluoride varnishes for preventing dental decay in the permanent teeth of children and… 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
The study (Splieth 2001) did not report progression of dentinal carious lesions into enamel or dentine.
0 studies
No studies found

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Dental caries: prevalence of moderate to extensive caries (ICDAS 3-6) · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with 24-month recall showed no clear difference in dental caries: prevalence of moderate to extensive caries (ICDAS 3-6) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
RR 1.05 [0.92, 1.20]
1 study · 271 participants
Low

Clinical examination with risk-based recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Oral health attitudes (1-7 scale) · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with risk-based recall showed no clear difference in oral health attitudes (1-7 scale) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD 0.04 [-0.04, 0.12]
1 study · 1607 participants
GRADE not reported

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Periodontitis (probing pocket depth) · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with 24-month recall showed no clear difference in periodontal disease: probing pocket depth (mm) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall (moderate certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD -0.03 [-0.12, 0.06]
1 study · 270 participants
Moderate

Clinical examination with 24-month recall vs Clinical examination with 6-month recall

Oral health-related quality of life · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with 24-month recall showed no clear difference in oral-health-related quality of life (OHIP-14) compared with clinical examination with 6-month recall (high certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD -0.24 [-1.55, 1.07]
1 study · 305 participants
High

Periodontal disease (present) vs Individuals without periodontal disease (by LOA)

Poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Children aged 3-12 years

Periodontal disease was associated with higher odds of poor OHRQoL (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.12-1.18; 3 studies; no heterogeneity; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

The Association of Oral Health Status, demographic characteristics and socioeconomic determinants with Oral… 2020 All outcomes
Upper-middle-income countries (Brazil); studies 2010-2014
OR 1.15 [1.12, 1.18]
3 studies
GRADE not reported

Female gender (girls) vs Male gender (boys)

Poor oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Children aged 3-12 years

Girls had modestly higher odds of poor OHRQoL than boys (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.09-1.17; 3 studies; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

The Association of Oral Health Status, demographic characteristics and socioeconomic determinants with Oral… 2020 All outcomes
Upper-middle-income countries (Brazil); studies 2010-2013
OR 1.13 [1.09, 1.17]
3 studies
GRADE not reported

Clinical examination with risk-based recall vs Clinical examination with 24-month recall

Oral health-related quality of life · Dentate adults (aged 18 years and older) receiving dental check-ups in UK general dental practices (regular attenders)

Clinical examination with risk-based recall showed no clear difference in oral-health-related quality of life (OHIP-14) compared with clinical examination with 24-month recall (high certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 years
MD -0.37 [-1.69, 0.95]
1 study · 298 participants
High