Electrical conductance devices (electronic caries monitor (ECM) and/or CarieScan Pro), used as an adjunct to clinical oral examination vs Reference standard: histology or enhanced visual examination (with or without radiographs)
Outcome not reported · Samples with a low (<15%) prevalence of caries into dentine (d3/D3); target condition = non-cavitated enamel caries.
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
detection of proximal caries · Permanent posterior teeth, proximal surfaces (in vitro extracted teeth and in vivo patients)
For fibre-optic transillumination (FOTI), studies were identified (in vitro N=4, in vivo N=3) but none had sufficiently low risk of bias and adequate reporting to be pooled; no meta-analytic estimate could be derived.
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
0 studies
No studies found
Sensitivity for detection and diagnosis of early (enamel) caries · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Mother self-reported oral health behaviours and attitudes · Mothers and caregivers of children in the United Arab Emirates
Mothers and caregivers often had adequate knowledge/attitudes but improper oral-health practices and low dental-service use, associated with education and occupation (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque · Children in the United Arab Emirates (Ajman, Sharjah)
Dental plaque levels were high and associated with frequent snacking and less frequent tooth brushing, and higher plaque was linked to more caries (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Hashim et al. (Ajman, 5-6-year-olds) reported a mean plaque score of 0.67; higher snack consumption was associated with higher plaque (adjusted difference 0.13, 95% CI 0.02-0.24) and brushing >=twice daily with lower…
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Electrical conductance (e.g. electronic caries monitor, ECM) vs Reference standard: histology or enhanced visual-tactile examination
Outcome not reported · Adults presenting asymptomatically or suspected of having root caries (in vivo); extracted teeth of adults (in vitro)
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary Lactobacilli counts · Patients with drooling (sialorrhea) due to neurological disease
Salivary Lactobacilli counts were unchanged in two studies but significantly increased in one study one month after BoNT (ungraded; no effect estimate reported).
1 finding from 1 review
Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) for detection of early enamel caries (D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Fluorescence devices for the detection of dental caries 2020 · Cochrane All outcomesUp to 3 months between index test and reference standard (in vivo studies)
Analysed as a separate index test (coupled forest plot and SROC plot, Figure 24 / Figure 25; Appendix 5); no summary DOR or sensitivity/specificity point reported numerically in the text. 18 datasets, 2402 tooth sites.
17 studies
GRADE not reported
Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) for detection of early enamel caries (D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Fluorescence devices for the detection of dental caries 2020 · Cochrane All outcomesUp to 3 months between index test and reference standard (in vivo studies)
Analysed as a separate index test (coupled forest plot and SROC plot, Figure 22 / Figure 23; Appendix 5); no summary DOR or sensitivity/specificity point reported numerically in the text. 34 datasets, 6842 tooth sites.
32 studies
GRADE not reported
Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) for detection of early enamel caries (D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Fluorescence devices for the detection of dental caries 2020 · Cochrane All outcomesUp to 3 months between index test and reference standard (in vivo studies)
Analysed as a separate index test (coupled forest plot and SROC plot, Figure 22 / Figure 23; Appendix 5); no summary DOR or sensitivity/specificity point reported numerically in the text. 46 datasets, 7316 tooth sites.
45 studies
GRADE not reported
Diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for detection of early enamel caries (D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary osmolality (hydration level) · Patients with drooling (sialorrhea) due to neurological disease
No included study reported salivary osmolality; this pre-planned outcome remains unassessed (no studies).
1 finding from 1 review
Diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) by subgroup: Histology or excavation reference standard (detection of early enamel caries, D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary S. mutans level · Patients with drooling (sialorrhea) due to neurological disease
BoNT injections were not associated with significant changes in salivary S. mutans counts across three studies (ungraded; no effect estimate reported).
1 finding from 1 review
Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) for detection of early enamel caries (D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) by subgroup: Permanent/mixed dentition (detection of early enamel caries, D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
Specificity · Adults presenting asymptomatically or suspected of having root caries (in vivo studies); extracted teeth of adults (in vitro studies). 2…
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary pH · Patients with drooling (sialorrhea) due to neurological disease
BoNT injections were not associated with significant changes in oral/salivary pH across three studies (ungraded; no effect estimate reported).
1 finding from 1 review
Canary System (Quantum Dental Technologies; red fluorescence, scale 0-100) vs Reference standard: histology, enhanced visual examination with or without radiographs, or excavation
Outcome not reported · Children or adults presenting asymptomatically or suspected of having enamel caries (in vivo/clinical studies); extracted teeth of…
The review found no eligible studies for this question.
1 finding from 1 review
Sensitivity at fixed upper-quartile specificity 0.90 (detection of early enamel caries, D1 threshold) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review