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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Traditional screening with motivation (oral health education and offer of free treatment) vs Traditional screening alone Dental attendance · School children, primary and secondary schools in India · mean 3 months School dental screening programmes for oral health (2022) · Cochrane | RR 3.08 [2.57, 3.71] | 1 study · 2486 participants | Very low |
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: full-mouth Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Prevalence 0.74 [0.57, 0.90] | 17 studies | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine rinse (0.12% and 0.2%, pre- and post-extraction) vs Placebo or 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 | OR 0.38 [0.25, 0.58] | 6 studies · 1547 participants | Moderate |
HVGIC Fuji IX Gold Label vs HVGIC Vitro Molar and Maxxion R Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth · 2 years, ART; Class I Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp… (2022) | Annual failure rate (%) Fuji IX 14.7%; Vitro Molar 31.8%; Maxxion R 37.1% | 1 study · 150 participants | Ungraded |
Composite resin vs HVGIC Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth · 2 years, ART; Class I and II Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp… (2022) | Annual failure rate (%) HVGIC 5.9%; composite resin 6.7% (cumulative) | 1 study · 219 participants | 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 · Country: Eritrea Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | Prevalence 0.78 [0.724, 0.831] | 1 study | 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 surface level (dmfs/defs) · 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 -0.20 [-0.43, 0.03] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) vs Monotherapy or dual antiretroviral therapy Angular cheilitis 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) | No eligible studies compared angular cheilitis between CLWH on different ART medications. | 0 studies | No studies |
Atraumatic restorative treatment with GIC vs Conventional restoration (amalgam, conventional GIC, composite resin) Restoration failure · Children (3-13 years) with dentine caries in primary teeth, no pulpal involvement · 12-24 months Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022) | OR 1.60 [1.13, 2.27] | 6 studies · 1107 participants | Ungraded |
Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction Proximal caries detection accuracy · Dental images of human beings · Casalegno et al., 2018; CNN Uses of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Diagnosis of Dental Caries. (2022) | Accuracy 85.6 | 1 study · 217 participants | Ungraded |
Caries in first and second primary molars vs Reference (other primary tooth locations / caries-free) Caries development in permanent teeth · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of… · 8-year follow-up, First and second primary molars Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic… (2022) | RR 3.4 [1.8, 6.1] | 1 study · 362 participants | 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 · Country: South Africa Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | Prevalence 0.34 [0.276, 0.401] | 5 studies | Ungraded |
Caries assessment at enamel threshold vs None Caries experience · European adolescents aged 17 years · Exact age Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Mean DMFS 4.50 [3.63, 5.57] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Selective (partial, one-step) removal of carious tissue vs Non-selective (complete) caries removal to hard dentine Pulp exposure during caries removal · Children with dentine caries in primary and permanent teeth · 12 months, Primary and permanent teeth combined (2 studies) Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022) | RR 0.23 [0.08, 0.69] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Periodontal treatment (subgingival instrumentation, with or without antimicrobials/surgery) vs No active intervention/usual care Quality of life indicators · People with diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2, mostly type 2) and periodontitis, at least 16 years of age · 3-4 months Treatment of periodontitis for glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus (2022) · Cochrane | Three studies measured QoL. Vergnes 2018: overall GOHAI adjusted MD 7.0 (95% CI 2.4 to 11.6), 79 participants (better oral health-related QoL); no clear change in general SF-36 QoL. D'Aiuto 2018 ADDQoL better in… | 3 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 · Country: Libya Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | Prevalence 0.48 [0.45, 0.514] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Prior SDF application with a rinsing step vs No prior SDF application (untreated dentin control) Immediate bond strength (MPa) · Glass-ionomer cement bonded to sound dentin (in vitro) · Immediate bond strength, Sound dentin (with rinsing step) Bonding of Glass-Ionomer Cement and Adhesives to Silver Diamine Fluoride-treated Dentin: An Updated… (2022) | MD -1.11 [-3.47, 1.25] | 4 studies · 57 participants | Ungraded |
Atraumatic restorative treatment plus fluoride varnish vs Silver diamine fluoride plus fluoride varnish 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 0.16 [-0.10, 0.42] | 1 study · 246 participants | Ungraded |
Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction Occlusal caries detection accuracy · Dental images of human beings · Moutselos et al., 2019; MASK R-CNN; worst class Uses of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Diagnosis of Dental Caries. (2022) | Accuracy 66.7 | 1 study · 88 participants | Ungraded |
Caries assessment at dentine threshold (cavitation into dentine) 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 0.50 [0.06, 0.94] | 3 studies | Ungraded |
SDF applied biannually (every 6 months) vs Other non/minimally-invasive treatment (ART or 5% NaF varnish) Caries arrest · Children (age 1-10 years) with active cavitated dentin caries lesions in primary molars · Follow-up up to 12 months (biannual application), SDF application frequency: biannual (every 6 months) Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Efficacy in Arresting Cavitated Caries Lesions in Primary Molars: A Systematic… (2022) | ES 0.39 [0.19, 0.60] | 2 studies · 381 participants | Ungraded |
HVGIC Ketac Molar vs Conventional GIC Vitro Molar Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth · 1 year, ART; Class I, II, III, and V Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp… (2022) | Annual failure rate (%) HVGIC 17.8%; GIC 26.6% | 1 study · 244 participants | Ungraded |
Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) vs Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL; B-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 0.02 [-0.32, 0.36] | 2 studies · 134 participants | Ungraded |
Primary dentition DMFT score 1-3 vs No caries in primary teeth (DMFT = 0) Caries prevalence in permanent dentition · School children and adolescents (6-18 years) followed from primary dentition (baseline examination before 72 months of… · 7-year follow-up, Primary DMFT 1-3 Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic… (2022) | RR 1.5 [1.3, 1.8] | 1 study · 1683 participants | Ungraded |
Selective caries removal (SCR) + composite resin vs Complete caries removal (CCR) + composite resin Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children with deep dentine caries in primary molars restored with composite resin (indirect pulp treatment; pulpotomy… · 36 months, Complete caries removal (CCR) arm Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious lesions in pulp treated… (2022) | AFR 6.8 | 1 study · 48 participants | Ungraded |
Caregiver help with child tooth brushing vs None (descriptive single-group pooled prevalence) Caregiver help with tooth brushing prevalence (among children with caries) · Children with dental caries (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) | Prevalence 0.5408 [0.2663, 0.8025] | 3 studies · 830 participants | Ungraded |
Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) vs Monotherapy or dual antiretroviral therapy Recurrent oral ulceration 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) | No significant difference in recurrent oral ulceration between CLWH on cART and those on monotherapy or dual therapy (no numeric estimate reported in the text); 1 study(ies). | 1 study | Very low |
Caries assessment at dentine threshold vs None Caries prevalence · European adolescents aged 16 years · Exact age Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Prevalence 0.83 [0.80, 0.85] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Preformed metal crowns vs Resin-modified glass-ionomer cement plus composite resin Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth after vital or non-vital pulp therapy · 2 years Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious lesions in pulp treated… (2022) | Annual failure rate (AFR, %) 2.5 | 1 study · 87 participants | Ungraded |
Gaseous ozone vs Placebo or control 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 0.20 [0.02, 1.61] | 1 study · 60 participants | Ungraded |
Female sex vs None (descriptive single-group pooled prevalence) Female sex prevalence (among children with caries) · Children with dental caries (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) | Prevalence 0.4968 [0.4749, 0.5186] | 6 studies · 1999 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride-releasing resin-based sealant vs Resin-based sealant Retention of sealant (complete or partial retention) · Children with caries-free second primary molars, aged 4-8 years (dental clinic, Turkey and Spain) · 6-24 months Sealants for preventing dental caries in primary teeth (2022) · Cochrane | Effect estimate not calculable; 69 (2 studies). Retention equivocal: Unal 2015 100% (fluoride resin) vs 96.0% (resin) at 12 months; Baca 2007 84.1% (fluoride resin) vs 97.7% (resin) at 12 months; at 24 months 87.8% vs… | 2 studies · 69 participants | Very low |
Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs Healthy HIV-negative controls Dental caries prevalence (DMFT/dmft/DMFS/dmfs > 0) · Children and adolescents (<18 years) · Cross-sectional (case-control; single time point), Permanent dentition (DMFT > 0) Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A… (2022) | OR 2.49 [1.86, 3.32] | 1 study · 724 participants | Ungraded |
Icon resin infiltration vs Baseline before resin infiltration Color change · Patients with post-orthodontic white spot lesions and permanent dentition · 6 months Changes in the Color and Brightness of White Spots Associated with Orthodontic Treatment 6 Months after the… (2022) | Cohen's d 0.40 [0.11, 0.65] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Responsive complementary feeding (RCF) vs Other models of complementary feeding Choking events · 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 |
Icon resin infiltration vs Baseline before resin infiltration Color change · Patients with post-orthodontic white spot lesions and permanent dentition · 6 months Changes in the Color and Brightness of White Spots Associated with Orthodontic Treatment 6 Months after the… (2022) | Cohen's d 0.82 [0.43, 1.20] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Artemisia desertorum spreng (Shahaosan) 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 0.13 [0.02, 1.02] | 1 study · 188 participants | Ungraded |
Compomer (C) vs Composite resin (CR) Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children with carious primary molars treated by pulpotomy (vital pulp therapy) · 2 years, Composite resin (CR) arm Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious lesions in pulp treated… (2022) | AFR 0 | 1 study · 84 participants | Ungraded |
CD4+ T-cell count <250 cells/mm3 vs CD4+ T-cell count >=250 cells/mm3 HIV-related oral lesions · Children and adolescents living with HIV on ART/HAART · Cross-sectional (case-control; single time point), CD4+ T-cell count <250 cells/mm3 vs higher Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A… (2022) | CLWH with CD4+ <250 cells/mm3 were about twice as likely to have HIV-related oral lesions: Baghirath 2013 OR 1.916 (95% CI 0.613 to 2.513), p=0.001; Divakar 2015 OR 1.999 (95% CI 0.129 to 3.688), p=0.001. Not pooled. | 2 studies | Ungraded |
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 · Publication year: ≥ 2010 Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | MEAN 6.24 [4.16, 9.37] | 10 studies | Ungraded |
Glass ionomer-based sealant vs No sealant Adverse events · Children with caries-free primary first molars (with or without caries on other teeth), aged 1-5 years (paediatric… Sealants for preventing dental caries in primary teeth (2022) · Cochrane | No studies reported this outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) vs 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 · CPC+Zn+F vs water; operator level Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | MD -246 [-437.96, -54.04] | 1 study · 30 participants | Low |
Responsive complementary feeding (RCF) / other caregivers' feeding practices vs Other models of complementary feeding (traditional/non-responsive CF) Type 2 diabetes (later in life) · Healthy, term-born, normal-birth-weight infants aged 4-24 months (breastfed and/or formula-fed) in Western… · Later in life Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022) | No studies on the influence of caregivers' feeding practices during complementary feeding on type 2 diabetes later in life were identified. | 0 studies | No studies |
Ion-releasing restoration, glass ionomer-based (conventional GIC, HV-GIC, RMGIC, glass hybrid) vs Resin composite restoration Marginal adaptation (unacceptable marginal adaptation) · Patients with permanent dentition in need of restorations (all cavity types: Black's Class I, II, V, and non-carious… · 3 years Secondary caries and marginal adaptation of ion-releasing versus resin composite restorations: a systematic… (2022) | RD 0.00 [-0.02, 0.02] | 3 studies · 321 participants | Low |
Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction Dental caries detection accuracy · Dental images of human beings · Mayank et al., 2017; F-CNN Uses of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Diagnosis of Dental Caries. (2022) | Accuracy 70 | 1 study · 3000 participants | 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 · Adults using fluoride-containing dental care products (two included studies [28,47]; aged 20-35) · Habitual daily intake, Medium-fluoridated tap water (0.52-0.77 mg/L) Fluoride Intake Through Dental Care Products: A Systematic Review. (2022) | Mean contribution to TDFI (%) 53 | 1 study | Ungraded |
Sugary drinks/sweets consumption vs None (descriptive single-group pooled prevalence) Sugary drinks/sweets consumption prevalence (among children with caries) · Children with dental caries (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) | Prevalence 0.6974 [0.4784, 0.8773] | 7 studies | 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… · 18 months-2 years Secondary caries and marginal adaptation of ion-releasing versus resin composite restorations: a systematic… (2022) | RD -0.00 [-0.01, 0.01] | 8 studies · 1087 participants | Low |
Periodontal treatment (subgingival instrumentation, with or without antimicrobials/surgery) vs No active intervention/usual care Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · People with diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2, mostly type 2) and periodontitis, at least 16 years of age · 3-4 months Treatment of periodontitis for glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus (2022) · Cochrane | SMD -2.05 [-2.57, -1.53] | 18 studies | Ungraded |
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) vs Alternative (active) treatment (e.g. oral splint, medication, self-care or disease management) Additional physical symptoms · People aged 12 years and over with painful TMD lasting 3 months or longer Psychological therapies for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) (2022) · Cochrane | This outcome was not measured (not synthesised for this comparison; review-wide only one study reported additional physical symptoms). | NR | No studies |