What do systematic reviews say?

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No studies measured developmental defects of enamel (by any validated index).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Milsom 2006 reported the prevalence of trauma to the permanent incisor teeth as a dichotomous outcome (reduction from baseline yes/no); we were unable to include this data in a meta-analysis.
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Referral to a specific dental treatment facility vs Generic advice letter to see a dentist

It is very uncertain whether referral to a specific dental treatment facility changes dental attendance (number of dental visits) compared with generic advice letter to see a dentist (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  median 11 months
  RR 0.91 [0.34, 2.47]
  1 study · 362 participants
  Very low

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3 to 4 months
  Data not pooled; 6281 participants (4 RCTs); Very low. There was substantial heterogeneity, in part due to study design (3 cluster-RCTs and 1 individually randomised trial). We are unable to draw conclusions about this…
  4 studies · 6281 participants
  Very low

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No studies measured gingivitis (by any validated index).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) of self-regulation vs Standard referral letter

It is very uncertain whether referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) of… changes proportion of children with treated/untreated caries (receipt of… compared with standard referral letter (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  mean 8 months
  OR 0.97 [0.62, 1.51]
  1 study · 388 participants
  Very low

Criteria-based screening with specific (personalised) referral letter vs Criteria-based screening with non-specific referral letter

It is very uncertain whether criteria-based screening with specific (personalised) referral letter changes dental attendance at orthodontist compared with criteria-based screening with non-specific referral letter (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  mean 8 months
  RR 1.90 [1.18, 3.06]
  1 study · 201 participants
  Very low

Referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) plus dental information guide (DIG) vs Referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) alone

It is very uncertain whether referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) plus dental… changes proportion of children with treated/untreated caries (receipt of… compared with referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) alone (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  mean 8 months
  OR 1.30 [0.85, 1.99]
  1 study · 411 participants
  Very low

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No studies measured malocclusion or orthodontic treatment needs (by any validated index).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Referral to a specific dental treatment facility vs Generic advice letter to see a dentist

It is very uncertain whether referral to a specific dental treatment facility changes number of caries in primary teeth (dt index) compared with generic advice letter to see a dentist (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  median 11 months
  MD -0.20 [-0.72, 0.32]
  1 study · 362 participants
  Very low

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Adverse events: Not reported (Summary of findings 1).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Milsom 2006 measured prevalence of dental caries as mean number of teeth with active caries in primary teeth (dt) and permanent teeth (DT); post-intervention changes from baseline were not significant, and the authors…
  1 study · 16684 participants
  GRADE not reported

Referral to a specific dental treatment facility vs Generic advice letter to see a dentist

It is very uncertain whether referral to a specific dental treatment facility changes number of caries in permanent teeth (DT index) compared with generic advice letter to see a dentist (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  median 11 months
  MD 0.30 [-0.03, 0.63]
  1 study · 362 participants
  Very low

Criteria-based screening (dentist refers using pre-established criteria) vs No screening

Criteria-based screening (dentist refers using pre-established… showed no clear difference in dental attendance compared with no screening (low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  3 to 4 months
  RR 1.07 [0.99, 1.16]
  2 studies · 4980 participants
  Low

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes
  As none of the studies reported cost-effectiveness, we could not assess the cost-benefit aspect of school dental screening.
  0 studies
  No studies found

Referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) of self-regulation plus dental information guide (DIG) vs Standard referral letter

It is very uncertain whether referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) of… changes proportion of children with treated/untreated caries (receipt of… compared with standard referral letter (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  mean 8 months
  OR 1.26 [0.82, 1.93]
  1 study · 395 participants
  Very low

Criteria-based screening with specific (personalised) referral letter vs Criteria-based screening with non-specific referral letter

It is very uncertain whether criteria-based screening with specific (personalised) referral letter changes dental attendance at general dentist compared with criteria-based screening with non-specific referral letter (very low certainty).

• School dental screening programmes for oral health 2022 · Cochrane All outcomes

  mean 8 months
  RR 1.39 [1.09, 1.77]
  1 study · 201 participants
  Very low

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

Clinical examination with 24-month 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.

• Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  4 years
  MD -0.11 [-0.26, 0.04]
  1 study · 308 participants
  GRADE not reported

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

Clinical examination with risk-based recall showed no clear difference in cost (healthcare-system perspective): total cost per patient (GBP) compared with clinical examination with 24-month recall; GRADE not reported.

• Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  4 years
  MD 17.00 [-14.34, 48.34]
  1 study · 404 participants
  GRADE not reported

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

Clinical examination with risk-based recall showed no clear difference in periodontal disease: gingival bleeding (percentage of sites) compared with clinical examination with 24-month recall (high certainty).

• Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients 2020 · Cochrane All outcomes

  4 years
  MD -0.07 [-4.10, 3.96]
  1 study · 279 participants
  High