What do systematic reviews say?

Health service and/or policy intervention designed to modify access to oral health information or services for pregnant women, new mothers or other primary caregivers vs Standard care (or any comparator)

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
  No trials evaluated policy or health service interventions designed to modify access to oral health information or services.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Psychological interventions vs no treatment

• Interventions for the cessation of non‐nutritive sucking habits in children 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes
  SoF (psychological interventions vs no treatment): Adverse events - insufficient information reported. Table 3 (adverse outcomes after one month; Haryett 1967), psychological treatment group: reported upset 1/11 (9%);…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Psychological interventions vs no treatment

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for the cessation of non‐nutritive sucking habits in children 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Occlusion: Not reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Behaviour change / oral health promotion interventions delivered by non-dental professionals and health workers (nurses, midwives, health visitors, community health workers) vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers produced a small, statistically significant reduction in caries experience at the surface level (dmfs SMD -0.15, 95% CI -0.25 to -0.04; 12 studies); the review judged the overall evidence to be of low quality (not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.)
  SMD -0.15 [-0.25, -0.04]
  12 studies
  GRADE not reported

Behaviour change / oral health promotion interventions delivered by non-dental professionals and health workers (nurses, midwives, health visitors, community health workers) vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers produced a small-to-moderate, statistically significant reduction in caries experience at the tooth level (dmft SMD -0.34, 95% CI -0.54 to -0.13; 6 studies); the review judged the overall evidence to be of low quality (not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.)
  SMD -0.34 [-0.54, -0.13]
  6 studies
  GRADE not reported

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

School-based interventions may reduce dental plaque scores (SMD -0.32, favouring intervention), but the certainty of evidence is very low.

• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
  SMD -0.32 [-0.46, -0.18]
  7 studies · 3339 participants
  Very low

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

The effect of school-based interventions on gingival scores is uncertain and not statistically significant (SMD 0.12; very low certainty).

• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
  SMD 0.12 [-0.32, 0.55]
  3 studies · 1573 participants
  Very low

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

Among children aged 6-8 years, DMFT scores were significantly reduced (SMD -0.11); subgroup not separately GRADE-rated.

• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Age 6-8 years
  SMD -0.11 [-0.17, -0.04]
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · <=3 intervention activities
  SMD -0.58 [-1.62, 0.45]
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  <2 years · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention duration <2 years
  SMD 0.01 [-0.16, 0.18]
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

Oral-health-education interventions significantly reduced net increment in DMFS (SMD -1.05); no significant subgroup difference vs other interventions (P=0.74).

• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention type: oral health education
  SMD -1.05 [-2.03, -0.08]
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · WHO health-promoting-schools framework
  SMD -0.57 [-1.56, 0.42]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Non-WHO-framework interventions
  SMD -1.88 [-3.15, -0.60]
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

School-based interventions may reduce the prevalence of dental caries (RR 0.70, favouring intervention), but the certainty of evidence is very low.

• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
  RR 0.70 [0.53, 0.94]
  4 studies · 2968 participants
  Very low
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  <2 years · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention duration <2 years
  RR 0.95 [0.75, 1.21]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  >=2 years · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Intervention duration >=2 years
  RR 0.58 [0.40, 0.84]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs usual practice

Among children aged 5-8 years, net increment in DMFT was not significantly reduced (SMD -0.36); no significant subgroup difference by age.

• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Age 5-8 years
  SMD -0.36 [-0.76, 0.04]
  5 studies
  GRADE not reported
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean)
  SMD -0.34 [-0.69, 0.02]
  5 studies · 5492 participants
  Very low
• Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and middle-income… 2022 All outcomes

  Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer) · Primary schools in low- and middle-income countries (Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, eastern Mediterranean) · Age 9-12 years
  SMD -0.20 [-0.44, 0.04]
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Comprehensive oral health intervention (oral health education plus additional support: motivational interviewing, toothbrush/toothpaste provision, community engagement, and/or fluoride varnish/sealant application) delivered by non-dental health workers vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Comprehensive interventions produced a small, statistically significant reduction in surface-level caries (dmfs SMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.26 to -0.02; 10 studies; not GRADE-rated).

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.) · Comprehensive intervention (vs oral health education only)
  SMD -0.14 [-0.26, -0.02]
  10 studies
  GRADE not reported

Comprehensive oral health intervention (oral health education plus additional support: motivational interviewing, toothbrush/toothpaste provision, community engagement, and/or fluoride varnish/sealant application) delivered by non-dental health workers vs control (no intervention/usual care/isotonic exercise)

Comprehensive interventions produced a statistically significant reduction in tooth-level caries (dmft SMD -0.47, 95% CI -0.84 to -0.10; 4 studies; not GRADE-rated), though heterogeneity was very high.

• The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting children's… 2022 All outcomes

  Primary care and community settings; interventions delivered by non-dental health workers (multiple countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, UK, USA, etc.) · Comprehensive intervention (vs oral health education only)
  SMD -0.47 [-0.84, -0.10]
  4 studies
  GRADE not reported

Any intervention to manage relapse: fixed options (labial braces, lingual braces, fixed lingual wire) or removable options (Hawley's retainer with spring elastomeric module, Bloore removable aligner, other Hawley's retainer modifications, Invisalign, Clearstep) vs no intervention or another intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing relapse of the lower front teeth after orthodontic treatment 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. After deduplication, the electronic searching identified 527 publications; after reviewing the titles and abstracts, none focused on interventions to correct the…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Any intervention to manage relapse: fixed options (labial braces, lingual braces, fixed lingual wire) or removable options (Hawley's retainer with spring elastomeric module, Bloore removable aligner, other Hawley's retainer modifications, Invisalign, Clearstep) vs no intervention or another intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing relapse of the lower front teeth after orthodontic treatment 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. After deduplication, the electronic searching identified 527 publications; after reviewing the titles and abstracts, none focused on interventions to correct the…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Any intervention to manage relapse: fixed options (labial braces, lingual braces, fixed lingual wire) or removable options (Hawley's retainer with spring elastomeric module, Bloore removable aligner, other Hawley's retainer modifications, Invisalign, Clearstep) vs no intervention or another intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing relapse of the lower front teeth after orthodontic treatment 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. After deduplication, the electronic searching identified 527 publications; after reviewing the titles and abstracts, none focused on interventions to correct the…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Any intervention to manage relapse: fixed options (labial braces, lingual braces, fixed lingual wire) or removable options (Hawley's retainer with spring elastomeric module, Bloore removable aligner, other Hawley's retainer modifications, Invisalign, Clearstep) vs no intervention or another intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing relapse of the lower front teeth after orthodontic treatment 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. After deduplication, the electronic searching identified 527 publications; after reviewing the titles and abstracts, none focused on interventions to correct the…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Any intervention to manage relapse: fixed options (labial braces, lingual braces, fixed lingual wire) or removable options (Hawley's retainer with spring elastomeric module, Bloore removable aligner, other Hawley's retainer modifications, Invisalign, Clearstep) vs no intervention or another intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing relapse of the lower front teeth after orthodontic treatment 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. After deduplication, the electronic searching identified 527 publications; after reviewing the titles and abstracts, none focused on interventions to correct the…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Any intervention to manage relapse: fixed options (labial braces, lingual braces, fixed lingual wire) or removable options (Hawley's retainer with spring elastomeric module, Bloore removable aligner, other Hawley's retainer modifications, Invisalign, Clearstep) vs no intervention or another intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing relapse of the lower front teeth after orthodontic treatment 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. After deduplication, the electronic searching identified 527 publications; after reviewing the titles and abstracts, none focused on interventions to correct the…
  0 studies
  No studies found

Any intervention to manage relapse: fixed options (labial braces, lingual braces, fixed lingual wire) or removable options (Hawley's retainer with spring elastomeric module, Bloore removable aligner, other Hawley's retainer modifications, Invisalign, Clearstep) vs no intervention or another intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Interventions for managing relapse of the lower front teeth after orthodontic treatment 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No RCTs met the inclusion criteria for this review. After deduplication, the electronic searching identified 527 publications; after reviewing the titles and abstracts, none focused on interventions to correct the…
  0 studies
  No studies found