Decayed or filled primary tooth surfaces at 3 years · Pregnant women (for preventing dental caries in the primary teeth of their children)
It is very uncertain whether fluoride supplementation (tablets, drops, lozenges or chewing gum) changes decayed or filled primary tooth surfaces at 3 years compared with placebo or no treatment (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Decayed or filled primary tooth surfaces at 5 years · Pregnant women (for preventing dental caries in the primary teeth of their children)
It is very uncertain whether fluoride supplementation (tablets, drops, lozenges or chewing gum) changes decayed or filled primary tooth surfaces at 5 years compared with placebo or no treatment (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Change in proportion of caries-free children (deciduous or permanent teeth) · People of all ages in a previously fluoridated community (Maupome 2001: children with generally low caries experience)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Proportion of children not remaining caries-free · Children with primary (deciduous) teeth (younger children)
Fluoride gel (topically applied; operator- or self-applied; any… showed no clear difference in proportion of children not remaining caries-free compared with placebo or no treatment; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries experience (mean dmft) · People of all ages in a previously fluoridated community (Maupome 2001: children with generally low caries experience)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Dental caries in permanent teeth · People of all ages in a previously fluoridated community (Maupome 2001: children with generally low caries experience)
1 finding from 1 review
Insufficient evidence to determine the effect of the cessation of water fluoridation on caries. One study (Maupome 2001), at high risk of bias, over 3 years found no increase in caries in the fluoride-ended group…
1 study · 9249 participants
Very low
Disparities in caries across socioeconomic status (SES) · People of all ages in a previously fluoridated community (Maupome 2001: children with generally low caries experience)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Adverse effects · People of all ages in a previously fluoridated community (Maupome 2001: children with generally low caries experience)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Caries increment on permanent tooth surfaces (DMFS, approximal surfaces) · Children and adolescents aged 16 years or less
1 finding from 1 review
Future caries · Children without a previous history of caries
Veillonella spp. predicted future caries among children without a caries history, but no quantitative effect estimate was reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Among children without a previous history of caries, Veillonella spp., but not S. mutans or other acid-producing species, predicted future caries.
1 study · NA (subgroup without prior caries history; n not reported) participants
GRADE not reported
Streptococcus mutans colonization reduction (narrative; no CFU data reported) · Animal caries models (mice, rats, hamsters) challenged/colonized with Streptococcus mutans; one transgenic-plant antigen-expression system
Anticaries vaccines produced a sustained reduction in Streptococcus mutans colonization on teeth in animal models (ungraded narrative synthesis; no pooled estimate).
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Relative abundance of S. mutans in saliva · Individuals assessed for dental caries, predominantly children with early childhood caries (ECC) or severe ECC (age about 1 to 4 years)
A few small studies report Streptococcus mutans relative abundance in caries versus caries-free children without pooling; the evidence is ungraded and not meta-analyzed.
1 finding from 1 review
Restoration failure · Permanent posterior teeth (molars/premolars) receiving direct restoration
There was no statistically significant difference in failure risk between composite resin and amalgam restorations in permanent posterior teeth (pooled RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.34; 13 studies; not GRADE-rated, with very high heterogeneity, I2 = 97%).
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary / secretory IgA (SIgA) antibody response (immunogenicity) · Animal caries models (mice, rats, hamsters) challenged/colonized with Streptococcus mutans; one transgenic-plant antigen-expression system
Anticaries vaccines, particularly via mucosal (intranasal) routes, elicited increased salivary/secretory IgA responses in the animal studies (ungraded narrative synthesis; no pooled estimate).
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Dental caries and cariogenic bacteria (Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacilli) · Adult e-cigarette (ENDS) users (general oral health; predominantly natural dentition)
E-cigarette use is associated with more cariogenic bacteria and increased dental caries risk compared with non-smokers (narrative synthesis; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Narrative synthesis: e-cigarette use linked to increased cariogenic bacteria (S. mutans, Lactobacilli) and worsening dental caries, with flavored e-liquids noted as a caries risk factor (Zieba, Camoni, Yang…
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Self-reported gingivitis · Adult e-cigarette (ENDS) users (general oral health; predominantly natural dentition)
E-cigarette use is associated with self-reported gingivitis compared with non-smokers (single included review; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Oral microbiota composition (dysbiosis; increased periodontal/opportunistic pathogens) · Adult e-cigarette (ENDS) users (general oral health; predominantly natural dentition)
E-cigarette use is associated with oral microbiota dysbiosis and increased pathogenic bacteria compared with non-smokers (narrative synthesis; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Serum IgG antibody response (immunogenicity) · Animal caries models (mice, rats, hamsters) challenged/colonized with Streptococcus mutans; one transgenic-plant antigen-expression system
Anticaries vaccines elicited increased serum IgG antibody responses across the animal studies (ungraded narrative synthesis; no pooled estimate).
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)
Across European countries the overall pooled mean DMFT in 12-year-olds was 2.10 (95% CI 1.63 to 2.57), with very high between-country heterogeneity (I2=100%); not GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · Adult e-cigarette (ENDS) users (general oral health; predominantly natural dentition)
E-cigarette users tend to have a higher plaque index (more biofilm accumulation) than non-smokers (narrative synthesis of systematic reviews; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Narrative synthesis: e-cigarette users exhibited a higher plaque index than non-smokers across included reviews (Shabil, Vamos, Youssef, Thiem, Figueredo, Yang [24,25,27,29,30,31]); the umbrella review reported no…
6 studies
GRADE not reported