Relative abundance of S. mutans in saliva · Individuals assessed for dental caries, predominantly children with early childhood caries (ECC) or severe ECC (age about 1 to 4 years)
A few small studies report Streptococcus mutans relative abundance in caries versus caries-free children without pooling; the evidence is ungraded and not meta-analyzed.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Pooled ECC prevalence in Tunisia was 38% (95% CI 24-51), significantly lower than Egypt and Sudan.
10 findings from 1 review
Prevalence 38 [24, 51]
4 studies
GRADE not reported
Prevalence 48 [39, 58]
9 studies
GRADE not reported
Prevalence 63 [52, 74]
3 studies
GRADE not reported
Show 7 more findings
Self-efficacy related to oral health · school‐age children and adolescents
Theory-based educational interventions significantly improved oral health self-efficacy (SMD 1.49; low certainty), though between-study heterogeneity was very high.
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · people aged 60 years and older living in the community
OHRQoL did not differ significantly by country-level periodontal disease prevalence; no pooled estimate was reported in the text (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · people aged 60 years and older living in the community
Community-dwelling older adults in higher-income countries had better OHRQoL than those in lower-income countries (77.9, 95% CI 70.2 to 85.6 vs 66.9, 95% CI 56.7 to 77.0); the difference by income was statistically significant (ungraded).
2 findings from 1 review
MEAN 77.9 [70.2, 85.6]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
MEAN 66.9 [56.7, 77.0]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Absence of marginal discoloration · Children receiving dental restorations (aged 4-11 years; primary teeth; Class I/II/V cavities)
No significant difference between IRR and CR in marginal discoloration (moderate certainty; downgraded for inconsistency).
1 finding from 1 review
Oral health-related quality of life · people aged 60 years and older living in the community
Older adults in countries with relative income equality (low Gini index) had markedly higher OHRQoL (91.3, 95% CI 90.0 to 92.6) than those in less equal countries; the difference by Gini index was statistically significant (ungraded).
4 findings from 1 review
Show 1 more finding
MEAN 81.2 [75.3, 88.3]
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults aged 18 years or older with mature permanent teeth and carious pulp exposure
Permanent restoration after 7-14 days was associated with a pooled success rate of 73.6%.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Paternal tertiary education was associated with lower odds of ECC (OR 0.381).
3 findings from 1 review
OR 0.381 [0.16, 0.91]
1 study
GRADE not reported
OR 0.083 [0.03, 0.21]
1 study
GRADE not reported
OR 0.797 [0.171, 0.650]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Caries prevalence (early childhood caries) · Preschool children aged <=71 months (caries outcome assessed at 3-6 years)
Preschool children exposed to secondary smoking have higher odds of caries prevalence (OR 1.77), but the cross-sectional evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty).
2 findings from 1 review
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults aged 18 years or older with mature permanent teeth and carious pulp exposure
Partial pulpotomy with MTA or Biodentine had a pooled success rate of 86.8%.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Brushing twice daily was associated with lower odds of ECC (OR 0.033).
2 findings from 1 review
OR 0.033 [0.004, 0.276]
1 study
GRADE not reported
OR 0.033 [0.004, 0.263]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Oral health attitudes (1-7 scale) · school‐age children and adolescents
Theory-based interventions significantly improved oral health attitude (SMD 9.32; low certainty); the very large effect warrants cautious interpretation.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Preschool children (<6 years)
Higher sugar consumption is associated with early childhood caries in children under 6 years: pooled OR 1.59 (95% CI 1.50 to 1.68) from 9 cohort studies with no heterogeneity (I2=0%); the body of evidence was not GRADE-rated (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Integrity of contact point · Children receiving dental restorations (aged 4-11 years; primary teeth; Class I/II/V cavities)
No significant difference between IRR and CR in integrity of contact point (high certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Brushing at the recommended time was associated with lower odds of ECC (OR 0.028).
1 finding from 1 review
OR 0.028 [0.004, 0.223]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Caries in the mother's mouth was associated with markedly higher odds of ECC (OR 20.44).
1 finding from 1 review
OR 20.44 [8.37, 49.92]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Overall success (composite of clinical and radiographic success) · Adults aged 18 years or older with mature permanent teeth and carious pulp exposure
Each additional day before permanent restoration was associated with a 0.088% decrease in success in meta-regression.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged 0-5 years in North Africa
Spoon sharing with household members was associated with higher odds of ECC (OR 8.79).
1 finding from 1 review
OR 8.79 [2.92, 26.51]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Oral health-related quality of life · school‐age children and adolescents
Theory-based interventions significantly improved oral health-related quality of life (SMD 7.38; low certainty), with very high heterogeneity.
1 finding from 1 review