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Each row is one question a systematic review asked: who, what, compared with what, and which outcome, with the effect it found and how certain that is. Every word you type has to appear somewhere in the question, and the closest matches are ranked first.
10,375 questions in 429 reviews · Oral Health
current versionsNo studies 1,344 · 13%Ungraded 6,832 · 65.9%Very low 1,228 · 11.8%Low 613 · 5.9%Moderate 290 · 2.8%High 68 · 0.7%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
| Question | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs Healthy HIV-negative controls Kaposi's sarcoma (WHO clinical stage 4) · Children and adolescents (<18 years) · Cross-sectional (case-control; single time point) Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A… (2022) | Planned WHO stage 4 outcome; no eligible studies (Table 2 lists 'None'). | 0 studies | No studies |
Pulpotomy (partial or full) vs None (single-arm pooled success proportion) Clinical and radiographic success rate (>=6 months) · Human permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis (symptomatic and asymptomatic) due to carious pulp exposure · >=6 months, Observational studies (GRADE evidence profile) Outcome of pulpotomy in permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Proportion 0.926 [0.86, 0.96] | 6 studies · 177 participants | Very low |
Responsive complementary feeding (RCF) vs Control (usual care) BMI z-score (overweight/obesity) at 13 months · Healthy, term-born, normal-birth-weight infants aged 4-24 months (breastfed and/or formula-fed) in Western… · 13 months Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022) | Risk of overweight and obesity after 13 mo (RCT, BMIz): DANIELS 2012 - children in the intervention group had a lower BMIz at 13 months than controls (0.23 +/- 0.93 vs 0.42 +/- 0.85; p = 0.01); 698 (1 RCT); Low. | 1 study · 698 participants | Low |
Pulpotomy with Calcium Enriched Mixture (CEM) vs Pulpotomy with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) Clinical and radiographic success rate (>=6 months) · Human permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis due to carious pulp exposure · >=6 months, Pulp capping material: CEM vs calcium hydroxide Outcome of pulpotomy in permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | No significant difference was observed between CEM and calcium hydroxide (indirect comparison; Supplementary Table S5, not available). | NR | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine gel (0.2%, intrasocket) vs Placebo or no treatment Adverse events · Adults (>18 years) having permanent tooth extraction (predominantly mandibular third molars) · Follow-up: median 7 days Local interventions for the management of alveolar osteitis (dry socket) (2022) · Cochrane | No adverse events were reported. Six trials (673 participants) reported no adverse events from the use of chlorhexidine gel; one study (Rubio-Palau 2015) reported gastrointestinal discomfort (30, 18%), dizziness (10,… | 7 studies | Ungraded |
Essential oil mouthwash C (Listerine) vs Coloured and flavoured 5% hydroalcohol mouthwash Reduction in level of contamination by particles >5 um (droplets) at <2 m from patient's oral cavity · Dental patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) and the dental healthcare providers treating them · operator level; aerobic culture (cross-over; graph-only, not analysed) Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | One study (Fine 1993a) compared essential oil mouthwash C (Listerine) with coloured and flavoured 5% hydroalcohol mouthwash in a cross-over design for reduction in contamination by particles >5 um at operator level… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs Healthy HIV-negative controls Salivary immunoglobulin A (SIgA) concentration · Children and adolescents (<18 years) · Cross-sectional (case-control; single time point) Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A… (2022) | Pomarico 2009 reported no significant difference in total SIgA among HIV-ART, HIV-HAART, and healthy children, but significantly higher anti-Candida albicans SIgA in the two HIV groups; no effect estimate pooled. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Food marketing exposure or greater marketing power vs No marketing, less marketing, or less powerful marketing Food choice · Children and adolescents aged 0-19 years · Crossover designs with binary outcomes Association of Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing With Children and Adolescents' Eating Behaviors and… (2022) | OR 3.45 [0.97, 12.43] | 3 studies | Ungraded |
Povidone iodine vs Ozonated water Reduction in level of contamination by particles >5 um (droplets) at <2 m from patient's oral cavity · Dental patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) and the dental healthcare providers treating them · operator level; aerobic cultures Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | MD 3.5 [-17.1, 24.1] | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Caries severity measurement (mean number of decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth, DMFT; WHO criteria) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year) Caries severity (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children (permanent dentition) in Africa · Country: Sudan Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | MEAN 0.49 [0.461, 0.519] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Antiretroviral therapy (any, including cART) vs No antiretroviral medication (treatment-naive) Linear gingival erythema prevalence · Children and adolescents (<18 years) living with HIV (CLWH) Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on Oral Health among Children Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and… (2022) | OR 1.29 [0.58, 2.88] | NR | Very low |
Caries assessment at dentine threshold vs None Caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 12 years · Exact age Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Prevalence 0.49 [0.34, 0.63] | 11 studies | Ungraded |
Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction Caries detection accuracy on intraoral images · Dental images of human beings · Kühnisch et al., 2022; convolutional neural networks Uses of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Diagnosis of Dental Caries. (2022) | Accuracy 93.3 | 1 study · 2417 participants | Ungraded |
Food and nonalcoholic beverage marketing (exposure) vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing Food preference · Children and adolescents aged 0-19 years · Overall (pooled across designs) Association of Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing With Children and Adolescents' Eating Behaviors and… (2022) | SMD 0.30 [0.12, 0.49] | 12 studies | Ungraded |
Neocone vs Alvogyl Time to initial pain relief (minutes) · Adults (>18 years) with established dry socket following permanent tooth extraction · Initial pain relief Local interventions for the management of alveolar osteitis (dry socket) (2022) · Cochrane | MD 9.87 [9.12, 10.63] | 1 study · 78 participants | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine (CHX) vs Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) Reduction in level of contamination by particles >5 um (droplets) at <2 m from patient's oral cavity · Dental patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) and the dental healthcare providers treating them · cold CHX vs cold CPC; assistant level Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | MD 8.8 [2.7, 14.9] | 1 study · 20 participants | Very low |
Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening Proportion of children with treated/untreated caries · School children (aged 4 to 15 years), primary and secondary schools in the UK and India School dental screening programmes for oral health (2022) · Cochrane | Proportion of children with treated/untreated caries: Not reported (Summary of findings 1). | 0 studies | No studies |
Caries experience measurement (mean D(M)FS, enamel lesions included) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses only) Caries experience (mean DMFS) · European adolescents aged 12–19 years · Examination type: full-mouth Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | MEAN 6.56 [4.55, 9.47] | 12 studies | Ungraded |
Tranexamic acid (AMCA cones) vs Placebo (lactose cones) Presence of dry socket · Adults (>18 years) having permanent tooth extraction (predominantly mandibular third molars) · Follow-up: median 7 days Local interventions for the management of alveolar osteitis (dry socket) (2022) · Cochrane | RR 0.67 [0.30, 1.48] | 1 study · 120 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride-releasing resin-based sealant vs Resin-based sealant Adverse events · Children with caries-free second primary molars, aged 4-8 years (dental clinic, Turkey and Spain) Sealants for preventing dental caries in primary teeth (2022) · Cochrane | No studies reported this outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Responsive complementary feeding (RCF) vs Other models of complementary feeding Hypertension · Healthy children aged 6–24 months in Western industrialized countries Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
Nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) dentifrice/paste (fluoride-free or fluoridated) vs nHA-free / fluoride-free (negative) control Mineral loss (transversal microradiography) · Enamel/dentin specimens with initial caries lesions (or sound surfaces) in intraoral (in situ) appliances worn by… · Median 21 days (range 14-28 days), Net-remineralizing conditions Efficacy of nano-hydroxyapatite on caries prevention-a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | MD 350 [179, 521] | 1 study | Very low |
Nanoionomer resin-modified GIC vs HVGIC Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth · 1 year, ART; Class I Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp… (2022) | Annual failure rate (%) RMGIC 2.0%; HVGIC 12.8% | 1 study · 50 participants | Ungraded |
Full-mouth scaling (FMS): scaling/root planing (subgingival instrumentation) of all quadrants within 24 hours, without antiseptic vs Quadrant scaling and root planing (control): SRP of each quadrant in separate sessions at least one week apart Change in clinical attachment level (CAL) · Adults with a clinical diagnosis of (chronic) periodontitis (1999 classification); studies of aggressive… · 6 to 8 months (SoF); similar at 3 to 4 months Full‐mouth treatment modalities (within 24 hours) for periodontitis in adults (2022) · Cochrane | MD 0.10 [-0.05, 0.26] | 5 studies · 148 participants | Low |
Prior SDF application without a rinsing step vs No prior SDF application (untreated dentin control) Immediate bond strength (MPa) · Glass-ionomer cement bonded to caries-affected dentin (in vitro) · Immediate bond strength, Caries-affected dentin (without rinsing step) Bonding of Glass-Ionomer Cement and Adhesives to Silver Diamine Fluoride-treated Dentin: An Updated… (2022) | MD 0.26 [-0.30, 0.82] | 4 studies · 130 participants | Ungraded |
Full-mouth scaling (FMS): scaling/root planing (subgingival instrumentation) of all quadrants within 24 hours, without antiseptic vs Full-mouth disinfection (FMD): scaling/root planing (subgingival instrumentation) of all quadrants within 24 hours plus adjunctive antiseptic (chlorhexidine) treatments (rinsing, pocket irrigation, tongue/tonsil brushing) Change in clinical attachment level (CAL) · Adults with a clinical diagnosis of (chronic) periodontitis (1999 classification); studies of aggressive… · 6 to 8 months (SoF); 3 to 4 months favoured FMD Full‐mouth treatment modalities (within 24 hours) for periodontitis in adults (2022) · Cochrane | MD -0.05 [-0.23, 0.13] | 4 studies · 112 participants | Low |
Chlorhexidine (CHX) vs Water (distilled) Reduction in level of contamination by particles >5 um (droplets) at <2 m from patient's oral cavity · Dental patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) and the dental healthcare providers treating them · operator level Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | At operator level, because of high heterogeneity (I2 = 98%), the results were not meta-analysed (6 studies, 196 participants). No pooled estimate or GRADE rating. | 6 studies · 196 participants | Ungraded |
Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs Healthy HIV-negative controls Mucosal (oral) hyperpigmentation · Children and adolescents (<18 years) · Cross-sectional (case-control; single time point) Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A… (2022) | OR 20.35 [3.86, 107.39] | 3 studies · 407 participants | Ungraded |
Full-mouth disinfection (FMD): scaling/root planing (subgingival instrumentation) of all quadrants within 24 hours plus adjunctive antiseptic (chlorhexidine) treatments (rinsing, pocket irrigation, tongue/tonsil brushing) vs Quadrant scaling and root planing (control): SRP of each quadrant in separate sessions at least one week apart Pocket closure (sites with PPD <=4 mm) · Adults with a clinical diagnosis of (chronic) periodontitis (1999 classification); studies of aggressive… Full‐mouth treatment modalities (within 24 hours) for periodontitis in adults (2022) · Cochrane | Pocket closure (number/proportion of sites with PPD <=4 mm after treatment): 9 studies reported; all showed an increase in closed pockets after treatment; 8 of 9 found no between-group difference; Koshy 2005 found a… | 9 studies | Ungraded |
Primary closure of the extraction socket with a mucoperiosteal flap vs Application of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) without primary closure Incidence of MRONJ · People on antiresorptive treatment undergoing tooth extraction (at risk of MRONJ) · 90 days Interventions for managing medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (2022) · Cochrane | All participants had complete mucosal coverage without any signs of MRONJ at the final control examination 90 days postoperatively (77 randomised; 1 RCT); no case of postoperative MRONJ in either group; effect not… | 1 study · 77 participants | Ungraded |
Oral health education only (verbal, written, or audio-visual education) delivered by non-dental health workers vs Control (usual care, no intervention, or comparison group) Caries experience at the tooth level (dmft) · Children (mean age newborn to ~5.2 years) and their parents/carers · Oral health education only (vs comprehensive intervention) The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions delivered by non-dental health workers in promoting… (2022) | SMD -0.11 [-0.21, 0.00] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Stepwise excavation (two-step caries removal) vs Non-selective (complete) caries removal to hard dentine Pulp exposure during caries removal · Children (3-11 years) with symptomless, vital dentine caries in primary molars · 12 months, Stepwise excavation vs complete caries removal (primary teeth) Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022) | RR 0.31 [0.17, 0.57] | 262 participants | Ungraded |
Prior SDF application without a rinsing step vs No prior SDF application (untreated dentin control) Immediate bond strength (MPa) · Dental adhesives bonded to sound dentin (in vitro) · Immediate bond strength, Sound dentin (without rinsing step) Bonding of Glass-Ionomer Cement and Adhesives to Silver Diamine Fluoride-treated Dentin: An Updated… (2022) | MD 17.52 [5.81, 29.22] | 3 studies · 136 participants | Ungraded |
Male sex (boys) vs Female sex (girls) Caries development in permanent teeth · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of… · At least 24 months follow-up, Gender (boys vs girls) Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic… (2022) | OR 0.86 [0.71, 1.02] | 2 studies · 2045 participants | Low |
Compomer (C) vs Composite resin (CR) Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children with carious primary molars treated by pulpotomy (vital pulp therapy) · 2 years, Compomer (C) arm Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious lesions in pulp treated… (2022) | AFR 8.9 | 1 study · 84 participants | Ungraded |
Criteria-based screening (dentist refers using pre-established criteria) vs Traditional screening Dental attendance · School children, primary and secondary schools in the UK · 3 to 4 months School dental screening programmes for oral health (2022) · Cochrane | RR 1.01 [0.94, 1.08] | 2 studies · 5316 participants | Very low |
Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None Caries experience · European adolescents aged 12 years · Exact age Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Mean DMFS 5.62 [3.78, 8.37] | 9 studies | Ungraded |
Fluoride-containing dental care products (mainly fluoride toothpaste) vs Dietary fluoride sources (drinking water, beverages, food) Contribution of dental care products to total daily fluoride intake (TDFI), by tap-water fluoride level · Children using fluoride-containing dental care products (majority of included studies) · Habitual daily intake, Low-fluoridated tap water (0.3-0.51 mg/L) Fluoride Intake Through Dental Care Products: A Systematic Review. (2022) | Mean contribution to TDFI (%) 39 | 7 studies | Ungraded |
ART/HAART duration <3 years vs ART/HAART duration >=3 years Other orofacial opportunistic infections (linear gingival erythema, hairy leukoplakia, angular cheilitis, oral ulcers) · Children and adolescents living with HIV on ART/HAART · Cross-sectional (case-control; single time point), ART/HAART duration <3 years vs >=3 years Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A… (2022) | Except for candidiasis, no significant differences in the prevalence of opportunistic infection manifestations (linear gingival erythema, hairy leukoplakia, angular cheilitis, oral ulcers) between ART duration <3 years… | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Non-responsive complementary feeding (NRCF) vs Other models of complementary feeding (responsive/traditional CF) Overweight/obesity risk · Healthy, term-born, normal-birth-weight infants aged 4-24 months (breastfed and/or formula-fed) in Western… · Follow-up interval 15-20 months Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022) | NRCF, risk of overweight and obesity (observational; follow up interval 15 to 20 months; assessed with % overweight/obesity, BMIz, delta-BMI, skinfold): No significant association for all comparisons (for documented… | 4 studies | Very low |
Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) vs Placebo Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Children with dental caries (ages ~2-13 years in the pooled trials) · Post-treatment, Indirect network estimate (no direct trials) Silver diamine fluoride and oral health-related quality of life: A review and network meta-analysis. (2022) | MD -0.01 [-0.40, 0.38] | 0 studies | Ungraded |
Dental caries assessment (WHO/clinical diagnostic criteria; caries = DMFT>0) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year) Caries prevalence · 12-year-old children (permanent dentition) in Africa · Data collection period: 2005-2009 Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | Prevalence 0.329 [0.111, 0.548] | 3 studies | Ungraded |
Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) vs No rinsing Reduction in level of contamination by particles >5 um (droplets) at <2 m from patient's oral cavity · Dental patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) and the dental healthcare providers treating them · CPC + domiphen bromide + quaternary ammonium vs no rinsing; combined Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | MD -0.75 [-1.32, -0.18] | 2 studies · 200 participants | Very low |
Adaptive dragonfly algorithm with neural-network classifier vs Support vector machine and Naive Bayes Accuracy advantage in test case 3 · Dental images of human beings · Patil et al., 2019 Uses of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Diagnosis of Dental Caries. (2022) | Accuracy advantage 6.30 | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening Developmental defects of enamel measured by any validated index · School children (aged 4 to 15 years), primary and secondary schools in the UK and India School dental screening programmes for oral health (2022) · Cochrane | No studies measured developmental defects of enamel (by any validated index). | 0 studies | No studies |
Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs Healthy HIV-negative controls Ulcerative stomatitis · Children and adolescents (<18 years) · Cross-sectional (case-control; single time point) Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A… (2022) | OR 28.59 [1.67, 490.32] | 1 study · 190 participants | Ungraded |
Xylitol sugar-free chewing gum vs No sugar-free gum / no chewing gum (or gum-base control); no chewing Plaque quantity (plaque index or plaque weight) · Adults and children (predominantly adults; one study in children), with natural dentition · End of study (last reported time point; study durations 4 days to 2 years) A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Role of Sugar-Free Chewing Gum on Plaque Quantity in the Oral… (2022) | SMD -0.743 [-1.148, -0.338] | 7 studies | Ungraded |
Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None Enamel caries proportion · European adolescents aged 17 years · Exact age Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Proportion 0.58 [0.55, 0.60] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Mixed breast- and bottle-feeding vs Bottle-feeding only Dental caries (early childhood caries) · Healthy children under 6 years in South Africa Maternal and infant risk factors and risk indicators associated with early childhood caries in South Africa:… (2022) | OR 1.04 [0.76, 1.41] | 2 studies · 863 participants | Ungraded |
Ion-releasing restoration, glass ionomer-based (conventional GIC, HV-GIC, RMGIC, glass hybrid) vs Resin composite restoration Secondary caries (caries around restorations), all cavity types · Patients with permanent dentition in need of restorations (all cavity types: Black's Class I, II, V, and non-carious… · Overall (1 year, 18 months-2 years, and 3 years pooled) Secondary caries and marginal adaptation of ion-releasing versus resin composite restorations: a systematic… (2022) | RD -0.00 [-0.01, 0.00] | 12 studies · 3085 participants | Ungraded |