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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.

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10,375 questions in 429 reviews · Oral Health

current versions
No 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.

QuestionEffectEvidenceStatus / GRADE
Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None
Caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 17 years · Exact age
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022)
Prevalence 0.83 [0.71, 0.94]3 studiesUngraded
Pulpotomy with Biodentine 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: Biodentine vs calcium hydroxide
Outcome of pulpotomy in permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022)
Biodentine demonstrated a statistically significantly higher success rate than calcium hydroxide (indirect comparison; Supplementary Table S5, not available).NRUngraded
Chlorhexidine (CHX) 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 -17.8 [-33.7, -1.9]1 study · 40 participantsVery low
High-viscosity GIC atraumatic restorative treatment vs No control
Restoration survival · Children with caries in primary molars · 2 years, Multi-surface
Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022)
Survival rate 599 studiesUngraded
P-hydroxybenzoic acid vs Placebo
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 0.08 [0.00, 1.37]1 study · 45 participantsUngraded
Hope-based intervention vs Pain education
Pain intensity · People aged 12 years and over with painful TMD lasting 3 months or longer · Treatment completion
Psychological therapies for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) (2022) · Cochrane
MD 0.10 [-13.52, 13.72]1 study · 29 participantsUngraded
Single-visit root canal treatment vs Multiple-visit root canal treatment (two or more visits)
Swelling or flare-up · People aged 10 years or above requiring root canal treatment; permanent teeth with completely formed apex and without…
Single versus multiple visits for endodontic treatment of permanent teeth (2022) · Cochrane
RR 0.56 [0.16, 1.92]6 studies · 605 participantsVery low
Fluoride-releasing resin-based sealant vs No sealant (no treatment)
Mean caries increment (mean number of new cavitated occlusal lesions) · Children with caries-free or non-cavitated carious lesion primary molars, aged 3-7 years (paediatric department,… · 24 months
Sealants for preventing dental caries in primary teeth (2022) · Cochrane
Mean number of new cavitated occlusal lesions 0.23 (SD 0.06) in sealed molars vs 0.29 (SD 0.06) in control molars (Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test P = 0.42)1 study · 85 participantsUngraded
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: Kenya
Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022)
MEAN 0.91 [0.295, 1.525]3 studiesUngraded
Sociodemographic / socioeconomic factors (single-parent family, low parental education, family income, socioeconomic status) vs Absence of the factor / reference socioeconomic category
Caries increment in permanent teeth · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of…
Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic… (2022)
Inconsistent findings across studies; meta-analysis could not be performed as data could not be extracted. Single-parent family and low parental education were significant in one study (Saethre-Sundli 2020); higher…3 studiesUngraded
High-viscosity glass-ionomer cement (HVGIC) restoration (conventional restorative approach) vs Compomer, composite resin, or another HVGIC
Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children with previously unrestored, vital carious lesions in primary teeth (no pulp therapy); aged 1.5-11 years · 12-36 months
Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp… (2022)
Annual failure rate (%) 2.9-25.6%3 studiesUngraded
Periodontal treatment: scaling and root planing (SRP) plus advice vs Community care: advice only
All CVD-related death · People with cardiovascular disease and chronic periodontitis
Periodontal therapy for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with periodontitis (2022) · Cochrane
SoF row 'All CVD-related death': Outcome not reported. Results 2.1.2: Not reported.0 studiesNo studies
Professional oral care vs Usual oral care
Incidence of NHAP · Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities · 8-30 months
Oral care measures for preventing nursing home‐acquired pneumonia (2022) · Cochrane
Incidence of NHAP, follow-up 8-30 months, 5018 (5 studies), Low. Not pooled (individual and cluster-randomised designs, varying effect measures and follow-up). Component estimates: Bourigault HR 0.65 (0.29 to 1.46;…5 studies · 5018 participantsLow
Food and nonalcoholic beverage marketing (exposure) vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing
Food preference · Children and adolescents aged 0-19 years · Randomized trials
Association of Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing With Children and Adolescents' Eating Behaviors and… (2022)
SMD 0.38 [0.03, 0.72]8 studies · 1802 participantsVery low
Intervention NR
Difference in summary specificity (NMA, Analysis 2) · Electrical conductance vs Imaging
Enamel Caries Detection and Diagnosis: An Analysis of Systematic Reviews. (2022)
Specificity difference (95% CrI) -0.16 [-0.45, 0.02]NRUngraded
Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) vs No cleft lip and/or palate (non-CL/P)
Care index (CI = f/[d+m+f]) in the primary dentition · Children in the primary dentition with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and comparable children without CL/P
Caries in children with and without orofacial clefting: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022)
Two out of three studies for which the CI could be calculated (Nagappan 2019; Veiga 2016) showed a higher CI for non-CL/P children demonstrating a higher proportion of extraction-based treatment in CL/P children…3 studiesUngraded
Caries assessment at enamel threshold (D(M)FS>0 or D(M)FT>0, enamel lesions included) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses only)
Caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 12–19 years · Age group: 12–15 years
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022)
Prevalence 0.73 [0.59, 0.87]24 studiesUngraded
Concentrated growth factor (CGF) and primary wound closure vs Primary wound closure only
Healing of MRONJ (soft tissue healing) · Women with osteoporosis and established MRONJ · 6 months
Interventions for managing medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (2022) · Cochrane
RR 1.38 [0.81, 2.34]1 study · 28 participantsVery low
Intervention NR
Pain during treatment · Hall Technique vs non-selective caries removal to hard dentine
Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022)
Proportion with no/mild pain 89% (HT) vs 78% (control)1 studyUngraded
Professional oral care vs Usual oral care
Mortality (all-cause) · Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities · 12-30 months
Oral care measures for preventing nursing home‐acquired pneumonia (2022) · Cochrane
All-cause mortality, follow-up 12-30 months, 3764 (3 studies), Very low. Not pooled. Adachi RR 0.80 (0.40 to 1.58; 88); Juthani-Mehta HR 1.16 (0.88 to 1.53; 834); Zimmerman adjusted IRR 0.83 (0.61 to 1.12; 1606).…3 studies · 3764 participantsVery low
Caries assessment at dentine threshold (cavitation into dentine) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses only)
Caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 12–19 years · Region: non-Scandinavian
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022)
Prevalence 0.57 [0.32, 0.81]6 studiesUngraded
Intervention NR
Difference in summary sensitivity (NMA, Analysis 2) · Imaging vs Visual
Enamel Caries Detection and Diagnosis: An Analysis of Systematic Reviews. (2022)
Sensitivity difference (95% CrI) -0.34 [-0.42, -0.23]NRUngraded
Fluorescence-based devices vs Reference standard (histology, operative excavation, or enhanced visual examination)
Sensitivity for detecting enamel caries · Asymptomatic children or adults suspected of enamel caries (clinical studies); extracted teeth (in vitro studies) · Analysis 2: network meta-analysis (all studies evaluating >=2 index tests)
Enamel Caries Detection and Diagnosis: An Analysis of Systematic Reviews. (2022)
Sensitivity 0.76 [0.68, 0.82]64 studies · 24567 participantsLow
Fluoride-containing dental care products, primarily toothpaste vs Dietary fluoride sources in extremely fluoridated areas
Contribution to total daily fluoride intake · Adults · Extreme fluoride in water (>1.5 mg/L)
Fluoride Intake Through Dental Care Products: A Systematic Review. (2022)
Mean percentage contribution 31 studyUngraded
Antiretroviral therapy (any, including cART) vs No antiretroviral medication (treatment-naive)
Parotid hypertrophy 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 0.01 [0.00, 0.05]NRVery low
Baby-led weaning (BLW) vs Other models of complementary feeding (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 18-78 months, BLW; observational studies
Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022)
OR 0.37 [0.25, 0.55]3 studies · 969 participantsVery low
Platelet-rich fibrin after bone surgery vs Bone surgery alone
Healing of MRONJ (mucosal integrity and absence of infection) · People with established (manifest) MRONJ · 1 year
Interventions for managing medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (2022) · Cochrane
RR 1.05 [0.90, 1.22]1 study · 47 participantsVery low
Hypnosis vs Relaxation
Adverse events · People aged 12 years and over with painful TMD lasting 3 months or longer
Psychological therapies for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) (2022) · Cochrane
Abrahamsen 2011: one participant who received hypnosis was admitted to a psychiatric hospital during the intervention; per study authors this was unrelated to the study treatment.1 studyUngraded
Good brushing habits (>=2 daily tooth brushing) vs Children without dental caries
Dental caries (association with good/>=2 daily brushing) · Children (deciduous and/or permanent dentition) in low- and middle-income countries
Individual, Family, and Socioeconomic Contributors to Dental Caries in Children from Low- and Middle-Income… (2022)
OR 0.65 [0.46, 0.92]7 studies · 5446 participantsUngraded
Heal-all tissue patch vs No treatment
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 0.08 [0.00, 1.32]1 study · 80 participantsUngraded
Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening
Dental attendance · School children (aged 4 to 15 years), primary and secondary schools in the UK and India · 3 to 4 months
School dental screening programmes for oral health (2022) · Cochrane
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 participantsVery low
Single-surface ART with high-viscosity GIC vs Multi-surface ART with high-viscosity GIC
Mean annual restoration failure rate · Children (2-9 years) with caries in posterior primary teeth · First 3 years, Single-surface
Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022)
Mean annual failure rate (%) 4.7% (van 't Hof 2006) to 5% (de Amorim 2018)NRUngraded
Periodontal treatment: scaling and root planing (SRP) plus advice vs Community care: advice only
All cardiovascular events · People with cardiovascular disease and chronic periodontitis · 6 to 25 months
Periodontal therapy for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with periodontitis (2022) · Cochrane
All cardiovascular events (Follow-up: 6 to 25 months): One study of 303 participants assessed this outcome; however, we considered data were unreliable as participants were followed up for different lengths of time,…1 study · 303 participantsVery low
Prefabricated zirconia crowns (e.g., NuSmile, Zirkiz, Kinder Krown) vs Other crowns/restorations (stainless steel crowns, pre-veneered SSC, resin composite strip crowns, glass-fiber composite crowns)
Recurrent caries (crowns free of recurrent caries) · Children with primary (deciduous) teeth requiring full-coverage crown restoration · 12 months
Zirconia Crowns for Primary Teeth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses. (2022)
RR 1.03 [0.96, 1.10]2 studies · 203 participantsUngraded
Placebo vs Silver diamine fluoride
Oral health-related quality of life · Children with dental caries · Direct estimate
Silver diamine fluoride and oral health-related quality of life: A review and network meta-analysis. (2022)
MD 0.03 [-0.16, 0.22]2 studies · 440 participantsUngraded
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
Tooth loss · 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
Tooth loss: None of the studies comparing FMD vs control reported tooth loss.0 studiesNo studies
Antiretroviral therapy (any, including cART) vs No antiretroviral medication (treatment-naive)
Dental development and maturation · 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)
One study (Trigueiro 2010) reported that dental age exceeded chronological age by 5.35 to 14.36 months (SE 3.03 to 15.86) in children on NRTI/PI/NNRTI regimens versus -0.67 months in those without medication; the…1 studyVery low
Maternal education attainment vs Children without dental caries
Dental caries (association with secondary/higher maternal education) · Children (deciduous and/or permanent dentition) in low- and middle-income countries · Secondary and higher education
Individual, Family, and Socioeconomic Contributors to Dental Caries in Children from Low- and Middle-Income… (2022)
OR 0.96 [0.64, 1.44]7 studies · 6529 participantsUngraded
Not applicable vs Not applicable
Mean DMFT score · Children aged 12 years (plus or minus one year) in Africa · Overall, publication-period analysis
Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022)
Mean DMFT 1.0900 [0.9143, 1.2657]NRUngraded
Fluoride-containing dental care products, primarily toothpaste vs Dietary fluoride sources in low-fluoridated areas
Contribution to total daily fluoride intake · Children · Low fluoride in water (0.3-0.51 mg/L)
Fluoride Intake Through Dental Care Products: A Systematic Review. (2022)
Mean percentage contribution 397 studiesUngraded
BLW vs Other models of complementary feeding (traditional CF)
Infant weight-length gain (achievement of adequate weight) · Healthy, term-born, normal-birth-weight infants aged 4-24 months (breastfed and/or formula-fed) in Western… · Measured at 18-78 months of age, observational studies
Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022)
OR 1.36 [0.18, 10.51]3 studiesUngraded
Antiretroviral therapy (any, including cART) vs No antiretroviral medication (treatment-naive)
Oral hygiene status · 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 0.73 [0.13, 4.26]0 studiesUngraded
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 · Country: Nigeria
Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022)
Prevalence 0.13 [0.106, 0.163]2 studiesUngraded
Intervention NR
Oral Candida carriage and salivary yeast concentration
Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on Oral Health among Children Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and… (2022)
no estimate extracted1 studyUngraded
Caries assessment at enamel threshold (D(M)FS>0 or D(M)FT>0, enamel lesions included) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses only)
Caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 12–19 years · Examination type: partial-mouth
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022)
Prevalence 0.81 [0.70, 0.91]5 studiesUngraded
Placebo vs Silver diamine fluoride
Oral health-related quality of life · Children with dental caries · Network estimate
Silver diamine fluoride and oral health-related quality of life: A review and network meta-analysis. (2022)
MD 0.03 [-0.16, 0.22]2 studies · 440 participantsUngraded
Common genetic variants genome-wide (GWAS; ~3.9 million SNPs with MAF > 5%) vs ECC-unaffected children (per-allele case-control association)
Early childhood caries (ECC) - association at lead SNP rs8091366 (18:24715618; nearest gene(s) CHST9, KCTD1) · Children up to age 5-6 years (European / European non-Hispanic ancestry); 843 ECC-affected vs 2124 unaffected across 5… · Cross-sectional (ECC ascertained at the last dental exam before age 6), rs8091366 (18:24715618); effect/non-effect allele A/G; MAF 0.52; direction across 5 cohorts +++++
Association of Early Childhood Caries with Bitter Taste Receptors: A Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide… (2022)
Z-score (Stouffer's combined Z, 5 cohorts) 4.4765 studies · 2974 participantsUngraded
Primary school-based interventions (one or more of: school health policy, oral health education, healthy school environment, access to oral health services, community involvement) vs No intervention or usual practice/activities
Dental caries measured by net increment in DMFS scores · Primary school children (aged 3-16 years) attending primary school in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) · Post-intervention; follow-up varied across studies (interventions ranged from <2 years to >=2 years and longer), Non-WHO-framework interventions
Effectiveness of primary school-based interventions in improving oral health of children in low- and… (2022)
SMD -1.88 [-3.15, -0.60]NRUngraded
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Placebo
Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL; C-ECOHIS) · Children with dental caries (ages ~2-13 years in the pooled trials) · Post-treatment
Silver diamine fluoride and oral health-related quality of life: A review and network meta-analysis. (2022)
MD 0.03 [-0.16, 0.22]2 studies · 440 participantsUngraded
Food and nonalcoholic beverage marketing (exposure) vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing
Dental caries · Children and adolescents aged 0-19 years · Nonrandomized studies
Association of Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing With Children and Adolescents' Eating Behaviors and… (2022)
Vote counting: 1 of 2 studies (50%; 95% CI, 9%-90.5%) showed an association of public health harm; 1 moderate-quality study found a clear association with caries and 1 high-quality study found no association.2 studiesVery low