Gap finder
Search review questions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
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, Trim-and-fill adjusted for publication bias Outcome of pulpotomy in permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Proportion 0.786 [0.66, 0.87] | 15 (11 observed + 4 imputed) studies | Ungraded |
Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs Healthy HIV-negative controls Chronic herpes simplex infection (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 |
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: Tanzania Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | MEAN 0.61 [0.314, 0.902] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Glass ionomer-based sealant vs Resin-based sealant (fluoride-releasing or non-fluoride-releasing) Development of >=1 new carious lesion (caries incidence) · 'Healthy' children with caries-free second primary molars, aged 3-5 years (schools and kindergartens, India and China) · 6-24 months Sealants for preventing dental caries in primary teeth (2022) · Cochrane | N/A - insufficient quantitative information available; 200 (2 studies). Comments: Due to the methods of data collection, analysis and reporting we were unable to provide any quantitative estimates. Fei 2011 narrative:… | 2 studies · 200 participants | Very low |
Not applicable vs Not applicable Prevalence of dental caries · 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) | Prevalence 0.356 [0.294, 0.417] | NR | Ungraded |
Isolated cleft palate (CP) or other specific cleft type vs Cleft lip and palate (CLP) or other cleft type Caries experience by cleft type · Children in the primary dentition with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) Caries in children with and without orofacial clefting: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Five studies investigated caries experience by cleft type (Howe 2017; Kirchberg 2014; Mutarai 2008; Sunderji 2017; Zhu 2010). A subgroup analysis comparing CP and CL/P as different entities was not possible due to the… | 5 studies | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine (CHX) vs Povidone iodine 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 and anaerobic cultures combined Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | MD -4.7 [-7.01, -2.39] | 1 study · 30 participants | Very low |
Compomer vs Composite resin Restoration failure · Children with carious primary teeth · 1 year, Class I, II, III, and V Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp… (2022) | Annual failure rate (%) compomer 1.7%; composite resin 1.7% | 1 study · 36 participants | Ungraded |
Primary dentition DMFT score over 13 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 over 13 Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic… (2022) | RR 15.2 [7.5, 30.8] | 1 study · 1683 participants | Ungraded |
Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) vs No cleft lip and/or palate (non-CL/P) Caries experience in the primary dentition (dmft/dmfs/dfs/deft/ds; pooled as standardized mean difference) · Children in the primary dentition with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and comparable children without CL/P · Mixed dentition Caries in children with and without orofacial clefting: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | SMD 1.74 [0.24, 3.25] | 4 studies · 789 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: Zimbabwe Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | Prevalence 0.49 [0.42, 0.568] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Living with HIV and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs Healthy HIV-negative controls Poor oral hygiene (simplified oral hygiene index, OHI-S > 3) · 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 1.23 [0.73, 2.07] | 1 study · 837 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: full-mouth Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Prevalence 0.53 [0.38, 0.68] | 12 studies | Ungraded |
Single-surface ART with high-viscosity GIC vs Multi-surface ART with high-viscosity GIC Restoration survival · Children with caries in primary molars/teeth · 3 years, Single-surface Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022) | Survival rate (%) 86 | 9 studies | Ungraded |
Machine-learning algorithms (deep learning: CNN/FCNN, ANN, backpropagation neural network, SVM, ADA-NN, Mask R-CNN) applied as an index test to detect dental caries vs Different machine-learning algorithms compared with one another / against the reference caries diagnosis Diagnostic accuracy for root caries detection · Dental radiographic/intraoral images of human teeth (X-ray and photographic) · Root caries Uses of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Diagnosis of Dental Caries. (2022) | Accuracy 97.1 | 1 study | Ungraded |
Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) vs Monotherapy or dual antiretroviral therapy Acute necrotising ulcerative periodontitis 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 acute necrotising ulcerative periodontitis 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 |
Education vs Usual care Pain intensity · People aged 12 years and over with painful TMD lasting 3 months or longer Psychological therapies for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) (2022) · Cochrane | Lupton 1968: multi-arm study; education arm versus usual care. No usable pain-reduction data reported and could not be combined in meta-analysis (Table 1). | 1 study | Ungraded |
Bio-active restorative materials (containing bio-active compounds) vs Any conventional restorative material Treatment failure (planned; no eligible studies) · Children with carious primary teeth after vital or non-vital pulp therapy Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious lesions in pulp treated… (2022) | No studies were found that reported on the use of restorative materials containing bio-active compounds for the restoration of carious primary teeth after vital or non-vital pulp therapy. | 0 studies | No studies |
Prior SDF application with 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 (with rinsing step) Bonding of Glass-Ionomer Cement and Adhesives to Silver Diamine Fluoride-treated Dentin: An Updated… (2022) | MD 7.11 [-0.57, 14.79] | 7 studies · 318 participants | Ungraded |
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) vs Alternative (active) treatment (e.g. oral splint, medication, self-care or disease management) Disability caused by pain at follow-up · People aged 12 years and over with painful TMD lasting 3 months or longer · Follow-up Psychological therapies for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) (2022) · Cochrane | SMD -0.15 [-0.42, 0.12] | 3 studies · 245 participants | Low |
Delicate surgery and wound closure by primary intention vs Non-traumatic tooth avulsion and wound closure by secondary intention Incidence of MRONJ · People treated with oral bisphosphonates undergoing dental extractions (at risk of MRONJ) Interventions for managing medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (2022) · Cochrane | In both study arms, no case of postoperative MRONJ was observed (700 participants; 1 RCT); effect not estimable. | 1 study · 700 participants | Ungraded |
38% SDF (applied every 6 or 12 months) vs 12% SDF Caries arrest · Children (age 1-10 years) with active cavitated dentin caries lesions in primary molars · 24-30 months, SDF application frequency: variable (Fung 2018; 38% vs 12% SDF) Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Efficacy in Arresting Cavitated Caries Lesions in Primary Molars: A Systematic… (2022) | ES 0.37 [0.27, 0.47] | 1 study · 888 participants | Ungraded |
Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) together with platelet-rich fibrin vs Platelet-rich fibrin alone Healing of MRONJ · People with established (manifest) MRONJ · 16 weeks Interventions for managing medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (2022) · Cochrane | RR 1.10 [0.94, 1.29] | 1 study · 55 participants | Very low |
Metal-reinforced glass-ionomer cement (MRGIC) restoration vs Conventional GIC Treatment failure (annual failure rate) · Children with previously unrestored, vital carious lesions in primary teeth (no pulp therapy); aged 1.5-11 years · 1.5 years mean follow-up (Kilpatrick 1995) Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious primary teeth without pulp… (2022) | Annual failure rate (%) 29.9 | 1 study · 37 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 · tempered CHX vs cold CPC; assistant level Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | MD -8.8 [-14.9, -2.7] | 1 study · 20 participants | Very low |
Silver diamine fluoride + fluoride varnish (SDF+FV) vs Atraumatic restorative treatment + fluoride varnish (ART+FV) Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL; COHIP-SF) · 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 0.16 [-0.1, 0.42] | 1 study · 246 participants | Ungraded |
Socioeconomic status category vs None (descriptive single-group pooled prevalence) Low SES prevalence (among children with caries) · Children with dental caries (deciduous and/or permanent dentition) in low- and middle-income countries · Low SES Individual, Family, and Socioeconomic Contributors to Dental Caries in Children from Low- and Middle-Income… (2022) | Prevalence 0.359 [0.1673, 0.5779] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Any preprocedural mouth rinse vs Placebo, no rinsing or control Change of microbiota in the patient's mouth · Dental patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) Preprocedural mouth rinses for preventing transmission of infectious diseases through aerosols in dental… (2022) · Cochrane | No included study reported change of oral microbiota. | 0 studies | No studies |
ART/HAART duration <3 years vs ART/HAART duration >=3 years Oral candidiasis · 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) | OR 17.93 [3.69, 83.12] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) plus dental information guide (DIG) vs Referral letter based on the common-sense model (CSM) alone Proportion of children with treated/untreated caries (receipt of dental care) · School children, primary schools in the USA · mean 8 months School dental screening programmes for oral health (2022) · Cochrane | OR 1.30 [0.85, 1.99] | 1 study · 411 participants | Very low |
Zinc oxide eugenol vs Alvogyl (old formulation) Pain (VAS 0-10) · Adults (>18 years) with established dry socket following permanent tooth extraction · Day 7 Local interventions for the management of alveolar osteitis (dry socket) (2022) · Cochrane | MD 1.40 [1.04, 1.75] | 2 studies · 80 participants | Very low |
Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) vs No cleft lip and/or palate (non-CL/P) Caries experience in the primary dentition (dmft/dmfs/dfs/deft/ds; pooled as standardized mean difference) · Children in the primary dentition with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and comparable children without CL/P · Primary dentition Caries in children with and without orofacial clefting: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | SMD 0.27 [0.06, 0.49] | 10 studies · 2366 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride-containing dental care products / fluoride intake vs Male vs female Sex/gender differences in fluoride intake or dental-care-product contribution · Participants stratified by sex/gender (especially young children) Fluoride Intake Through Dental Care Products: A Systematic Review. (2022) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
Fluoride-releasing resin-based sealant vs Resin-based sealant Development of >=1 new carious lesion (caries incidence) · 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 | N/A - insufficient quantitative information available; 69 (2 studies). Comments: Due to the different sealant materials, data reporting (split-mouth studies reported as parallel-group) and the very low number of tooth… | 2 studies · 69 participants | Low |
Multi-surface ART with high-viscosity GIC vs Single-surface ART with high-viscosity GIC Restoration survival · Children with caries in primary molars/teeth · 3 years, Multi-surface Minimal intervention dentistry for managing carious lesions into dentine in primary teeth: an umbrella review. (2022) | Survival rate (%) 49 | 9 studies | Ungraded |
Antiretroviral therapy (any, including cART) vs No antiretroviral medication (treatment-naive) Periodontal disease 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 0.82 [0.46, 1.44] | 2 studies · 250 participants | Very low |
Professional oral care vs Usual oral care Incidence or prevalence of fever · Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities · 24 months Oral care measures for preventing nursing home‐acquired pneumonia (2022) · Cochrane | RR 0.49 [0.33, 0.75] | 1 study · 366 participants | Ungraded |
Dental caries vs Caries-free oral health KEGG pathway associations · Participants in oral 16S rRNA caries microbiome studies Meta-analysis of caries microbiome studies can improve upon disease prediction outcomes. (2022) | no estimate extracted | 19 studies · 2016 participants | Ungraded |
Antiretroviral therapy (any, including cART) vs No antiretroviral medication (treatment-naive) Kaposi's sarcoma 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 0.00 [0.00, 0.03] | NR | Very low |
BLW/BLISS vs Traditional complementary feeding (TCF) Choking events · Healthy children aged 6–24 months in Western industrialized countries · during complementary feeding, BLW/BLISS Complementary Feeding Caregivers' Practices and Growth, Risk of Overweight/Obesity, and Other… (2022) | no estimate extracted | 6 studies | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine (CHX) vs Saline 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 | MD -21.33 [-36.8, -5.86] | 1 study · 12 participants | Very low |
Ion-releasing glass ionomer cement (GIC) restorations vs Resin composite restorations Unacceptable marginal adaptation · Patients with permanent dentition in need of restorations · 1 year, All types of cavities Secondary caries and marginal adaptation of ion-releasing versus resin composite restorations: a systematic… (2022) | RD 0.01 [-0.02, 0.03] | 9 studies · 1386 participants | Low |
Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction Root caries prediction accuracy · Dental images of human beings · Hung et al., 2019; support vector machine Uses of Different Machine Learning Algorithms for Diagnosis of Dental Caries. (2022) | Accuracy 97.1 | 1 study · 5135 participants | Ungraded |
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 year: ≥ 2010 Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2022) | Prevalence 0.74 [0.53, 0.96] | 11 studies | Ungraded |
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) as an adjunct to conventional therapy vs Conventional therapy Healing of MRONJ · People with established (manifest) MRONJ · up to 24 months (at last follow-up) Interventions for managing medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (2022) · Cochrane | RR 1.56 [0.77, 3.18] | 1 study · 46 participants | Very low |
Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) vs Monotherapy or dual antiretroviral therapy Kaposi's sarcoma 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 kaposi's sarcoma 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 |
Professional oral care vs Usual oral care Adverse effects of interventions · Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities Oral care measures for preventing nursing home‐acquired pneumonia (2022) · Cochrane | Measured in only 1 study (834 participants), which reported no serious events and 64 non-serious events, the most common of which were oral cavity disturbances (not defined) and dental staining. | 1 study · 834 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: Sao Tome Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review… (2022) | Prevalence 0.73 [0.694, 0.759] | 1 study | Ungraded |
CBT plus hypnosis (combined package) vs Usual care 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 -2.32 [-3.52, -1.12] | 1 study · 59 participants | Ungraded |
Food and nonalcoholic beverage marketing (exposure) vs No, less, or less powerful food marketing Food purchasing · Children and adolescents aged 0-19 years Association of Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage Marketing With Children and Adolescents' Eating Behaviors and… (2022) | No clear evidence of association with purchasing. Vote counting: any association of public health harm in 2 of 5 studies (40%; 95% CI, 7.3%-83.0%); all 3 observational NRSs found an association (2 harm, 1 benefit),… | 5 studies | Very low |