Secondary prevention of caries · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible pulpitis
Cavity liners may make little or no difference to secondary caries prevention (~100% prevention across groups; low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary flow rate (stimulated) · Patients with anorexia nervosa aged >=12 years (mean age ~18.4; entirely female in reported data), general community-dwelling population
Stimulated salivary flow rate was significantly lower in anorexia nervosa patients than controls, but only unstimulated flow was meta-analyzed; this outcome is ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary flow rate (unstimulated) · Patients with anorexia nervosa aged >=12 years (mean age ~18.4; entirely female in reported data), general community-dwelling population
Anorexia nervosa probably reduces unstimulated salivary flow rate versus healthy controls (MD -0.27 ml/min, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.24; moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Stunting · Children aged ≤6 years (early childhood)
One Nepalese cross-sectional study found caries severity significantly correlated with chronic malnutrition/stunting (HAZ; p<0.0001), especially in rural children; ungraded, no effect size reported.
3 findings from 1 review
Caries (DMFT/DMFS) in mixed/permanent dentition · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of age)
Higher early Streptococcus mutans colonization is associated with more caries in the mixed/permanent dentition (2 studies; not pooled; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Water samples with fluoride concentration below the acceptable range
1 finding from 1 review
Water samples with fluoride concentration below the acceptable range · Brazilian cities in the Southeast region with artificially fluoridated public water supplies
In the Southeast region, 24.6% of samples were below the acceptable range.
1 finding from 1 review
Prevalence 24.6
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Water samples with fluoride concentration below the acceptable range · Artificially fluoridated public water supply in Brazilian cities (water samples under external control)
In the Northeast Brazilian region, a pooled 79.7% of water samples had fluoride below the acceptable range; ungraded.
2 findings from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Water samples with fluoride concentration below the acceptable range
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary function impairment (buffering capacity, flow rate, oral pH) · Adults with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)
Reflux is associated with impaired salivary function (notably reduced buffering capacity) as a proposed pathophysiological mechanism, based on several ungraded studies.
1 finding from 1 review
Mixed/controversial salivary findings: reduced salivary buffering capacity supported in three studies (Correa, Holbrook, Filipi) with low oral pH and reduced flow as additional factors in GERD patients, but Meurman and Schroeder found no significant salivary abnormalities; no pooled estimate.
6 studies
GRADE not reported
Cost‐effectiveness · Children aged 6 years and older (healthy except for dental caries)
In children aged 6 years and older, the cost-effectiveness estimate was extremely imprecise and not significant (OR 0.00, 95% CI 0.00 to 48704.6; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Lower incisor inclination (lingual tipping and retrusion) · Children (approximately 11 years or older) with compromised mandibular first permanent molars
Bilateral lower first permanent molar extraction was associated with lingual tipping and retrusion of the lower incisors in one case-control study; ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Performance measures: lower extremity strength · Older or community-dwelling adults
Meta-analysis of randomised trials of vitamin D supplementation for Performance measures: lower extremity strength, Older adults: SMD 0.05 (95% CI -0.11 to 0.20), not statistically significant. Umbrella review outcome-level evidence grade: Substantial effect unlikely.
1 finding from 1 review
SMD 0.05 [-0.11, 0.20]
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Low birthweight · pregnant women
Meta-analysis of randomised trials of vitamin D supplementation for Low birth weight: RR 0.4 (95% CI 0.23 to 0.71), statistically significant. Umbrella review outcome-level evidence grade: Probable.
1 finding from 1 review
Serum low‐density lipoprotein (LDL, mmol/L) · Adults (general population)
Meta-analysis of randomised trials of vitamin D supplementation for Low density lipoprotein: WMD 3.23 (95% CI 0.55 to 5.9), statistically significant. Umbrella review outcome-level evidence grade: Suggestive.
1 finding from 1 review
WMD 3.23 [0.55, 5.9]
7 studies
GRADE not reported
Pulp necrosis · Vital teeth
The pooled incidence with > 5–10 years of follow-up was 5.53%.
1 finding from 1 review
Periapical pathosis incidence · Vital teeth
The pooled incidence with > 5–10 years of follow-up was 3.88%.
1 finding from 1 review
Fluoride toothpaste use prevalence (among children with caries) · Children with dental caries (deciduous and/or permanent dentition) in low- and middle-income countries
About 39% of children with caries in LMICs used fluoride toothpaste (pooled prevalence 0.391, 95% CI 0.166 to 0.644; 2 studies; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · Primary school children (aged 3-16 years) attending primary school in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
School-based interventions may reduce dental plaque scores (SMD -0.32, favouring intervention), but the certainty of evidence is very low.
1 finding from 1 review
Dental caries (association with no formal maternal education) · Children (deciduous and/or permanent dentition) in low- and middle-income countries
No formal maternal education showed a non-significant trend toward higher odds of dental caries (OR 1.34, 95% CI 0.76 to 2.36; 3 studies; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review