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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. Words match anywhere in the field.
1,325 questions in 34 reviews · Oral medicine and oral cancer
current versionsNo studies 164 · 12.4%Ungraded 841 · 63.5%Very low 209 · 15.8%Low 72 · 5.4%Moderate 38 · 2.9%High 1 · 0.1%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Topical clobetasol propionate vs Topical tacrolimus Pain resolution · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment · 3-8 weeks Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | RR 0.45 [0.24, 0.88] | 2 studies · 100 participants | Very low |
Intralesional betamethasone vs Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide Pain (mean score) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD -0.41 [-1.47, 0.65] | 1 study · 59 participants | Low |
Topical clobetasol propionate vs Topical ciclosporin Adverse effects · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment · 3-8 weeks Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | RR 6.32 [0.84, 47.69] | 1 study · 39 participants | Very low |
Topical triamcinolone acetonide vs Cryotherapy Adverse events (split-mouth) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | OR 0.01 [0.00, 0.16] | 1 study · 30 participants | Ungraded |
Systemic (oral) betamethasone vs Topical triamcinolone acetonide paste Pain resolution · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | RR 1.04 [0.60, 1.80] | 1 study · 49 participants | Very low |
Clobetasol propionate plus miconazole (adjunctive antifungal) vs Clobetasol propionate plus placebo Pain (mean score) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | Lodi 2007: no benefit of adjunctive miconazole for pain (low to very low certainty collectively) | 1 study | Ungraded |
Clobetasol propionate ointment vs Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) Pain (mean score) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD 0.62 [0.42, 0.82] | 1 study · 42 participants | Very low |
Topical corticosteroid vs Placebo Adverse effects · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment · 3-9 weeks Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | RR 1.48 [0.48, 4.56] | 3 studies · 88 participants | Very low |
Clobetasol propionate 0.025% microspheres vs Clobetasol propionate 0.025% ointment Clinical score · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD 0.00 [-0.61, 0.61] | 1 study · 45 participants | Ungraded |
Topical corticosteroid vs Placebo Pain resolution · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment · 8-9 weeks Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | RR 1.91 [1.08, 3.36] | 2 studies · 72 participants | Low |
Clobetasol propionate ointment vs Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) Clinical score · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD 0.56 [0.50, 0.62] | 1 study · 42 participants | Very low |
Topical corticosteroid vs Placebo Pain (mean score, 0-10) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment · end of treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD -1.81 [-3.54, -0.09] | 1 study · 32 participants | Low |
Topical triamcinolone acetonide vs Topical pimecrolimus Pain (mean VAS score) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment · end of treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD -0.05 [-2.97, 2.87] | 2 studies · 70 participants | Ungraded |
Dexamethasone ointment vs Amlexanox paste Pain (mean score) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD 0.05 [-0.78, 0.88] | 1 study · 36 participants | Ungraded |
Topical triamcinolone acetonide vs Photodynamic therapy Pain (mean score) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD 4.9 [2.98, 6.82] | 1 study · 20 participants | Very low |
Dexamethasone + nystatin + curcumin (adjunctive) vs Dexamethasone + nystatin + placebo Clinical resolution · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | Amirchaghmaghi 2016: no difference in clinical resolution with vs without curcumin (very low-certainty) | 1 study | Very low |
Clobetasol propionate 0.05% ointment vs Clobetasol propionate 0.025% ointment Pain (mean score) · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | MD -0.26 [-1.42, 0.90] | 1 study · 30 participants | Low |
Clobetasol propionate ointment vs Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) Clinical resolution · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | RR 0.46 [0.22, 0.98] | 1 study · 42 participants | Very low |
Triamcinolone plus systemic glucosamine sulphate (adjunctive) vs Triamcinolone alone Clinical score · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | Hesen 2017: no difference in Thongprasom clinical score with vs without glucosamine sulphate | 1 study | Ungraded |
Clobetasol propionate ointment vs Triamcinolone acetonide ointment Clinical resolution · People with symptomatic, biopsy-confirmed oral lichen planus (OLP); not concurrently receiving other OLP treatment Interventions for treating oral lichen planus: corticosteroid therapies (2020) · Cochrane | RR 1.56 [1.09, 2.21] | 2 studies · 57 participants | Low |
0.1% chlorine dioxide mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash Dentist-reported organoleptic test (OLT) score (scale 0 to 5) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 3 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.61 [-0.73, -0.49] | 1 study · 47 participants | Low |
Mechanical tongue cleaning (tongue scraper) vs No tongue cleaning Adverse events · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Adverse events: listed in the Summary of findings table but no data reported. No data were reported for adverse events. | 0 studies | No studies |
Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 tablets vs Placebo tablets OLT scores and VSC scores (gas chromatography) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Suzuki 2014 (cross-over RCT) compared Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 tablets versus placebo tablets (OLT and VSC by gas chromatography). The trial did not give usable data and we could not extract data from the graph. | 1 study | Ungraded |
0.6% eucalyptus chewing gum vs 0.4% eucalyptus chewing gum Dentist-reported organoleptic test (OLT) score (scale 0 to 5) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 4 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.1 [-0.37, 0.17] | 1 study · 64 participants | Very low |
Mechanical tongue cleaning (tongue scraper) vs No tongue cleaning Patient-reported OLT score · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Patient-reported OLT score assessed with patient's perception: listed in the Summary of findings table but no data reported. No data were reported for patient-reported OLT score. | 0 studies | No studies |
Green tea mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 28 days Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -57.39 [-184.63, 69.85] | 1 study · 60 participants | Ungraded |
0.3% triclosan + PVM/MA + sodium fluoride toothpaste vs Sodium fluoride (control) toothpaste Patient-reported OLT score · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 1 week Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Patient-reported OLT score: listed in the Summary of findings table but no data reported. No data were reported for patient-reported OLT score. | 0 studies | No studies |
Hinokitiol gel vs Placebo gel Adverse events · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 4 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Adverse events: listed in the Summary of findings table but no data reported. No data were reported for adverse events. | 0 studies | No studies |
Toothbrushing + Turkish gall oral rinse vs Toothbrushing Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -211.47 [-503.58, 80.64] | 1 study · 66 participants | Ungraded |
0.6% eucalyptus chewing gum vs Placebo chewing gum Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 4 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 0.0 [-0.21, 0.21] | 1 study · 65 participants | Ungraded |
Miswak (Salvadora persica) stick vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 1 week Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.77 [-1.19, -0.35] | 1 study · 24 participants | Ungraded |
0.3% triclosan + PVM/MA + sodium fluoride toothpaste vs Sodium fluoride (control) toothpaste Dentist-reported breath odour (OLT) score (scale 1 to 9 hedonic) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 1 week Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -3.48 [-3.77, -3.19] | 1 study · 81 participants | Very low |
Subgingival laser irradiation + povidone-iodine vs SRP alone Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 4 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 70.0 [63.88, 76.12] | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Dual zinc + arginine dentifrice vs Control (regular fluoride) dentifrice Dentist-reported OLT hedonic rating (scale 1 to 9) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 3 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -2.0 [-2.19, -1.81] | 1 study · 80 participants | Very low |
Lemongrass oil mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 8 days Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -26.66 [-43.39, -9.93] | 1 study · 20 participants | Ungraded |
Abrasive candy; abrasive candy + 2% propolis; abrasive candy + 0.5% zinc gluconate vs Abrasive candy + 1% propolis + 0.25% zinc Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Barak 2012 (5-arm RCT) compared abrasive candy, abrasive candy with propolis and abrasive candy with zinc gluconate versus abrasive candy with propolis and zinc; VSC measured by halimeter. We could not use the results… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Hinokitiol gel vs Placebo gel VSC: methyl mercaptan · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 28 days Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -1.64 [-5.77, 2.49] | 1 study · 18 participants | Ungraded |
Triclosan dentifrices (Crest Complete A; Signal Global A; Colgate Total A; experimental 0.3% triclosan formulation) vs Negative control dentifrice Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Nogueira-Filho 2002 (5-arm trial) compared three commercial 0.3% triclosan dentifrices and an experimental formulation versus a negative control dentifrice; VSC by halimeter. We could not use the results in the… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Toothbrushing + 0.075% cetylpyridinium chloride mouthwash vs Toothbrushing Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 3 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -8.04 [-15.87, -0.21] | 1 study · 70 participants | Ungraded |
Topical G32 (ayurvedic preparation) vs Chlorhexidine digluconate 1% gel Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 1 week Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 0.05 [-0.28, 0.38] | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine + zinc acetate mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash Adverse events · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 3 months Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Adverse events: listed in the Summary of findings table but no data reported. No data were reported for adverse events. | 0 studies | No studies |
1000 mg champignon extract vs Placebo Patient-reported visual analogue scale (VAS) score (scale 0 to 100) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -1.07 [-14.51, 12.37] | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Chlorine dioxide mouthrinse (with tongue scraping) vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash (with tongue scraping) VSC: third component · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 1 week Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 22.8 [-33.18, 78.78] | 1 study · 22 participants | Ungraded |
Sesame oil vs Chlorhexidine 0.2% mouthwash OLT score and patient self-assessment (BANA test) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Asokan 2011 (2-arm trial) compared sesame oil versus chlorhexidine 0.2% mouthwash (OLT and BANA test). We could not include the results in the meta-analysis because they did not report post-intervention OLT score and P… | 1 study | Ungraded |
0.6% eucalyptus chewing gum vs Placebo chewing gum Patient-reported OLT score · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 4 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Patient-reported OLT score: listed in the Summary of findings table but no data reported. No data were reported for patient-reported OLT score. | 0 studies | No studies |
Cetylpyridinium chloride mouthwash vs Chlorhexidine + zinc mouthwash Adverse events · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Adverse events reported by Borden 2002 were not related to the interventions. | 1 study · 44 participants | Ungraded |
Chlorine dioxide mouthrinse (with tongue scraping) vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash (with tongue scraping) VSC: methyl mercaptan · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 1 week Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 7.63 [-1.7, 16.96] | 1 study · 22 participants | Ungraded |
Sodium bicarbonate toothpaste vs Control toothpaste (without sodium bicarbonate) Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 6 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 105.8 [-16.2, 227.8] | 1 study · 148 participants | Ungraded |
Scaling and root planing (SRP) plus glycine powder air polishing vs Scaling and root planing (SRP) alone Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 30 days Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -3.87 [-17.93, 10.19] | 1 study · 60 participants | Ungraded |
Essential oil mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), halimeter · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -5.13 [-32.94, 22.68] | 1 study · 45 participants | Ungraded |