What do systematic reviews say?

Antiseptic mouthrinse vs placebo

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Salivary flow rate was only reported during radiotherapy (i.e. not at any of the time points of interest); no usable data (Lanzos 2010)
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Pilocarpine vs no treatment/placebo

It is very uncertain whether pilocarpine changes salivary flow rate (unstimulated) compared with no treatment/placebo (very low certainty).

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Up to and including 3 months postRT
  MD -0.06 [-0.23, 0.11]
  1 study · 24 participants
  Very low

Amifostine (intravenous) vs Amifostine (subcutaneous)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No salivary flow rate data related to routes of administration of amifostine were reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Bethanechol vs Artificial saliva

Bethanechol led to higher salivary flow rate (stimulated, ml/min) compared with artificial saliva; GRADE not reported.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  8 to 40 weeks postRT
  MD 0.21 [0.01, 0.41]
  1 study · 29 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  End of RT
  MD 0.13 [-0.03, 0.29]
  1 study · 32 participants
  GRADE not reported

Bethanechol vs placebo

Bethanechol showed no clear difference in salivary flow rate (stimulated, ml/min) compared with placebo; GRADE not reported.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  2 months postRT
  MD 0.15 [-0.03, 0.33]
  1 study · 97 participants
  GRADE not reported

Pilocarpine vs no treatment/placebo

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Any time point
  No evidence of a difference between treatment groups for stimulated salivary flow at any time point (Analysis 1.5)
  8 studies
  GRADE not reported

Bethanechol vs placebo

Bethanechol led to higher salivary flow rate (unstimulated, ml/min) compared with placebo; GRADE not reported.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  2 months postRT
  MD 0.19 [0.06, 0.32]
  1 study · 97 participants
  GRADE not reported

Amifostine 200 mg/m2 three times weekly vs Amifostine 200 mg/m2 five times weekly

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No salivary flow rate data related to the effectiveness of different doses of amifostine were reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Amifostine vs no treatment/placebo

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  End of RT to 12 months postRT
  Insufficient evidence of a difference in stimulated salivary flow at any time point: end of RT MD -0.09 (95% CI -1.48 to 1.30); 3 months MD 0.38 (95% CI -1.43 to 2.19); 12 months MD 0.82 (95% CI -0.47 to 2.11);…
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Amifostine vs no treatment/placebo

Amifostine led to higher salivary flow rate (incidence of > 0.1 g saliva/5 min, unstimulated) compared with no treatment/placebo; GRADE not reported.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  12 months postRT
  RR 1.45 [1.13, 1.86]
  1 study · 175 participants
  GRADE not reported

Venalot Depot (coumarin plus troxerutin) vs placebo

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Sialometric data dropped to an unmeasurable level in both groups; abandoned as a marker of efficacy (Grotz 2001)
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Biperiden plus pilocarpine vs no treatment

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes

  End of RT
  Insufficient evidence, from a single trial of 60 participants, to determine the effect on unstimulated salivary flow rate at the end of RT (Rode 1999; Analysis 2.1)
  1 study · 60 participants
  GRADE not reported

Selenium vs no intervention

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No data on salivary flow rates were reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Antimicrobial lozenge vs placebo

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Pharmacological interventions for preventing dry mouth and salivary gland dysfunction following radiotherapy 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No data on salivary flow rates were reported.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Lower lip bumper vs No active treatment (control)

It is very uncertain whether lower lip bumper changes amount of crowding (change in mandibular incisor crowding) at 6 months compared with no active treatment (control) (very low certainty).

• Orthodontic treatment for crowded teeth in children 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  6 months
  MD -4.39 [-5.07, -3.71]
  1 study · 34 participants
  Very low

Low income vs High family income

Low family income was associated with higher odds of severe early childhood caries.

• Oral Health of Children and Adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review of the Past Decade. 2021 All outcomes

  Overall
  OR 1.43 [1.11, 1.85]
  1 study · 1036 participants
  GRADE not reported

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo or no active treatment

Laser (low level) showed no clear difference in oral mucositis (any severity) compared with placebo/sham/no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for preventing oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving treatment 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Median 28 days
  RR 0.91 [0.71, 1.17]
  5 studies · 234 participants
  GRADE not reported

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo or no active treatment

Laser (low level) showed no clear difference in oral mucositis (moderate to severe) compared with placebo/sham/no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for preventing oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving treatment 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Median 28 days
  RR 0.64 [0.38, 1.08]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported

Low‐level laser therapy vs Povidone

Laser (low level) led to lower oral mucositis (moderate to severe) compared with povidone; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for preventing oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving treatment 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Median 28 days
  RR 0.29 [0.16, 0.54]
  1 study · 50 participants
  GRADE not reported

Low‐level laser therapy vs Placebo or no active treatment

Laser (low level) led to lower oral mucositis (severe) compared with placebo/sham/no treatment; GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for preventing oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving treatment 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Median 28 days
  RR 0.2 [0.06, 0.62]
  2 studies
  GRADE not reported