Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

115 questions · 143 findings · 11 reviews · Periodontology

Sort:Best matchNewest Highest certainty Download CSV

No studies found 31 · 21.7%GRADE not reported 59 · 41.3%Very low 34 · 23.8%Low 12 · 8.4%Moderate 3 · 2.1%High 4 · 2.8%

Periodontal treatment (scaling and root planing, alone or with antimicrobials) vs Alternative (less intensive) periodontal treatment, alone or with placebo

Adverse effects of therapy · Pregnant women considered to have periodontal disease (gingivitis or periodontitis) after dental examination

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Treating periodontal disease for preventing adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
Adverse effects of therapy: Not reported for this comparison.
0 studies
No studies found

Periodontal treatment (scaling and root planing, alone or with antimicrobials) vs Alternative (less intensive) periodontal treatment, alone or with placebo

Preterm birth < 35 weeks · Pregnant women considered to have periodontal disease (gingivitis or periodontitis) after dental examination

1 finding from 1 review

Treating periodontal disease for preventing adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
Preterm births < 35 weeks reported in four studies across three subcomparisons; none of the subcomparisons showed a difference; SRP versus alternative mechanical treatment not pooled due to considerable heterogeneity;…
4 studies
Very low

Chlorhexidine mouthrinse (any concentration; 0.05% to 0.2%) used in conjunction with mechanical oral hygiene procedures vs Placebo/control mouthrinse, or no mouthrinse (mechanical oral hygiene alone); controls pooled (protocol's separate comparisons versus mechanical oral hygiene alone and versus placebo/control merged)

Other adverse effects (taste disturbance, oral mucosal effects, burning sensation) · Children or adults with gingivitis or periodontitis capable of performing normal mechanical oral hygiene procedures (some with medical…

1 finding from 1 review

Chlorhexidine mouthrinse as an adjunctive treatment for gingival health 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
SoF narrative row (Other adverse effects): 22 trials reported at least 1 adverse effect apart from extrinsic tooth staining and calculus formation in the chlorhexidine rinse arms. The adverse effects most commonly…
22 studies
GRADE not reported

Periodontal treatment (scaling and root planing, alone or with antimicrobials) vs Alternative (less intensive) periodontal treatment, alone or with placebo

Probing pocket depth · Pregnant women considered to have periodontal disease (gingivitis or periodontitis) after dental examination

Periodontal treatment (scaling and root planing, alone or with… led to lower probing depth compared with alternative (less intensive) periodontal treatment, alone or with…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Treating periodontal disease for preventing adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
MD -0.93 [-1.12, -0.74]
1 study · 53 participants
GRADE not reported

Periodontal treatment (scaling and root planing, alone or with antimicrobials) vs Alternative (less intensive) periodontal treatment, alone or with placebo

Small‐for‐gestational age · Pregnant women considered to have periodontal disease (gingivitis or periodontitis) after dental examination

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Treating periodontal disease for preventing adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
Small for gestational age: Not reported for this comparison.
0 studies
No studies found

Chlorhexidine mouthrinse (any concentration; 0.05% to 0.2%) used in conjunction with mechanical oral hygiene procedures vs Placebo/control mouthrinse, or no mouthrinse (mechanical oral hygiene alone); controls pooled (protocol's separate comparisons versus mechanical oral hygiene alone and versus placebo/control merged)

Extrinsic tooth staining (various staining indices) · Children or adults with gingivitis or periodontitis capable of performing normal mechanical oral hygiene procedures (some with medical…

Chlorhexidine mouthrinse (any concentration; 0.05% to 0.2%) used in… led to higher extrinsic tooth staining (various staining indices) compared with placebo/control mouthrinse, or no mouthrinse (mechanical oral…; GRADE not reported.

2 findings from 1 review

Chlorhexidine mouthrinse as an adjunctive treatment for gingival health 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
6 months
SMD 1.54 [1.22, 1.86]
4 studies · 323 participants
GRADE not reported
Chlorhexidine mouthrinse as an adjunctive treatment for gingival health 2017 · Cochrane All outcomes
4 to 6 weeks
SMD 1.07 [0.80, 1.34]
8 studies · 415 participants
Moderate

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Plaque · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

It is very uncertain whether flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated… changes plaque (Turesky-modified Quigley-Hein/other plaque indices; SMD) compared with toothbrushing alone (with or without a negative-control/placebo rinse) (very low certainty).

3 findings from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
1 month (mean 29 days)
SMD -0.23 [-0.52, 0.06]
5 studies · 416 participants
Very low
Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
6 months
SMD -0.06 [-0.23, 0.12]
3 studies · 487 participants
GRADE not reported
Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
3 months
SMD -0.20 [-0.36, -0.04]
5 studies · 594 participants
GRADE not reported

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Side effects · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
Not estimable (5 studies). Adverse effects were assessed in five studies, but they used different outcome measures, so meta-analysis was not appropriate. The main harm identified was soft-tissue trauma to the gingival…
5 studies
GRADE not reported

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Gingivitis · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated… led to lower gingivitis (Gingival Index, 0-3 scale; SMD) compared with toothbrushing alone (with or without a negative-control/placebo rinse); GRADE not reported.

3 findings from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
3 months
SMD -0.41 [-0.68, -0.14]
6 studies · 656 participants
GRADE not reported
Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
1 month
SMD -0.36 [-0.66, -0.05]
7 studies · 489 participants
Very low
Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
6 months
SMD -0.72 [-1.09, -0.35]
4 studies · 564 participants
GRADE not reported

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Economic and resource cost of flossing · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
Not reported. No included study measured the economic or resource cost of flossing; the review notes it may be important to measure in future trials.
0 studies
No studies found

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Interproximal caries · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
Not estimable (0 studies). See comment: No included study assessed caries as an outcome.
0 studies
No studies found

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Periodontitis (clinical attachment loss) · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
Not estimable (0 studies). SoF comment reads (verbatim) 'No included study assessed calculus as an outcome' (apparent copy-paste typo in the clinical attachment loss row; no study assessed clinical attachment loss).
0 studies
No studies found

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Bad breath (halitosis) · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
Not reported. No included study measured halitosis; the review notes it may be important to measure in future trials.
0 studies
No studies found

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Calculus · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
Not estimable (0 studies). See comment: No included study assessed calculus as an outcome.
0 studies
No studies found

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

Quality of life · Dentate adults aged 16 years or older (excluding orthodontic patients and those with severe periodontal disease)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
Not estimable (0 studies). See comment: No included study assessed quality of life as an outcome.
0 studies
No studies found

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) vs placebo or control

Aesthetics · Patients affected by chronic, aggressive, or early onset periodontitis, with intrabony defects having an intrabony component of at least 3…

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) showed no clear difference in aesthetics compared with placebo or control (same surgical or non-surgical intervention… (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain®) for periodontal tissue regeneration in intrabony defects 2009 · Cochrane All outcomes
1 year (time-points 1, 5 and 10 years planned)
MD 1.0 [-5.4, 7.4]
1 study · 166 participants
Low

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) vs placebo or control

Change in gingival recession (REC) · Patients affected by chronic, aggressive, or early onset periodontitis, with intrabony defects having an intrabony component of at least 3…

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) showed no clear difference in change in gingival recession (REC) compared with placebo or control (same surgical or non-surgical intervention… (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain®) for periodontal tissue regeneration in intrabony defects 2009 · Cochrane All outcomes
1 year (time-points 1, 5 and 10 years planned)
MD 0.02 [-0.3, 0.3]
6 studies · 302 participants
Low

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) vs placebo or control

Marginal bone level change · Patients affected by chronic, aggressive, or early onset periodontitis, with intrabony defects having an intrabony component of at least 3…

1 finding from 1 review

Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain®) for periodontal tissue regeneration in intrabony defects 2009 · Cochrane All outcomes
1 year (time-points 1, 5 and 10 years planned)
No statistically significant difference between EMD and control for radiographic bone gain (three trials; P effect = 0.27, I2 = 78%).
3 studies
GRADE not reported

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) vs placebo or control

Change in probing pocket depth (PPD) · Patients affected by chronic, aggressive, or early onset periodontitis, with intrabony defects having an intrabony component of at least 3…

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) may leads to higher change in probing pocket depth (PPD) compared with placebo or control (same surgical or non-surgical intervention… (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain®) for periodontal tissue regeneration in intrabony defects 2009 · Cochrane All outcomes
1 year (time-points 1, 5 and 10 years planned)
MD 0.88 [0.44, 1.31]
9 studies · 371 participants
Low

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) vs placebo or control

Change in probing attachment level (PAL) · Patients affected by chronic, aggressive, or early onset periodontitis, with intrabony defects having an intrabony component of at least 3…

Enamel matrix derivative (EMD; Emdogain) may leads to higher change in probing attachment level (PAL) compared with placebo or control (same surgical or non-surgical intervention… (low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain®) for periodontal tissue regeneration in intrabony defects 2009 · Cochrane All outcomes
1 year (time-points 1, 5 and 10 years planned)
MD 1.08 [0.61, 1.55]
9 studies · 371 participants
Low