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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Cetylpyridinium chloride 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 -20.04 [-37.71, -2.37] | 1 study · 47 participants | Ungraded |
Hinokitiol gel vs Placebo gel 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 -0.27 [-1.26, 0.72] | 1 study · 18 participants | Very low |
1000 mg champignon extract vs Placebo Patient's family member-reported VAS score (scale 0 to 100) · 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 -1.74 [-15.52, 12.04] | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
1000 mg champignon extract vs Placebo 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 |
Chlorine dioxide + zinc 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 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.17 [-0.59, 0.25] | 1 study · 41 participants | Very low |
Benzethonium chloride mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash VSC: methyl mercaptan · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 9 days Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 7.2 [-24.92, 39.32] | 1 study · 20 participants | Ungraded |
Halita mouthwash (chlorhexidine 0.05% + cetylpyridinium chloride 0.05% + zinc lactate 0.14%) 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 -188.0 [-308.29, -67.71] | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Halita mouthwash (chlorhexidine 0.05% + cetylpyridinium chloride 0.05% + zinc lactate 0.14%) vs Placebo mouthwash 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 (Table 6). Risk with placebo mouthwash: None reported. Risk with halita mouthwash: tongue staining was seen in patients who gargled, rather than rinsed. 40 participants (1 RCT). Certainty: VERY LOW. | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Mechanical tongue cleaning (tongue scraper) vs No tongue cleaning Quality of life · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Quality of life was a prespecified secondary outcome. None of the 44 included studies in the review (across all comparisons) reported quality-of-life data (review-wide evidence gap). | 0 studies | No studies |
Chlorine dioxide + zinc mouthwash vs Placebo 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 · 41 participants | Ungraded |
Toothbrushing + chlorine dioxide mouthwash vs Toothbrushing + tongue cleaning Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), sulphide monitor · 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 -81.87 [-140.12, -23.62] | 1 study · 30 participants | Ungraded |
Halita mouthrinse vs Perio-plus mouthrinse Adverse events · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · mean 8 days Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Adverse events (Table 12). Risk with Perio-plus mouthrinse: 1 patient reported unpleasant feeling after the use of the product; there were no severe adverse events reported. Risk with halita mouthrinse: 1 patient… | 1 study · 36 participants | Very low |
Hinokitiol gel vs Placebo gel 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 |
Zinc chloride + sodium fluoride dentifrice vs Control dentifrice (sodium fluoride) Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), 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 | Payne 2011 (cross-over RCT) compared ZnCl + NaF dentifrice versus control NaF dentifrice; VSC by gas chromatography. The trial reported the adjusted mean VSC scores in a graph and hence we could not use the data in the… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Topical G32 (ayurvedic preparation) vs Chlorhexidine digluconate 1% gel Adverse events · 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 | Patil 2017 reported burning mucosa and drying of mouth in a few subjects using the control drug (chlorhexidine) and no adverse effects were reported in the intervention group (G32 tablets). | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Miswak (Salvadora persica) mouthwash 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 -0.2 [-1.03, 0.63] | 1 study · 21 participants | Ungraded |
SRP plus subgingival laser irradiation 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 -3.3 [-9.38, 2.78] | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine + zinc acetate mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash Patient-reported OLT score · 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 | 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 |
Halita mouthwash (chlorhexidine 0.05% + cetylpyridinium chloride 0.05% + zinc lactate 0.14%) 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 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -1.0 [-1.65, -0.35] | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Active rinse (zinc acetate + chlorhexidine + sodium fluoride), with or without tongue scraping vs Negative control rinse, with or without tongue scraping OLT and VSC scores (OralChroma and 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 | Ademovski 2012 (4-arm cross-over trial) compared an active rinse (with/without tongue scraping) versus a negative control rinse (with/without tongue scraping); OLT and VSC. The authors did not report the correlation… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Halita mouthrinse vs Perio-plus mouthrinse Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), portable gas chromatograph · 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 -25.0 [-64.21, 14.21] | 1 study · 36 participants | Ungraded |
Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges vs Placebo lozenges OLT, VSC and breath print scores · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Marchetti 2015 (2-arm RCT) compared Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges versus placebo lozenges (OLT, VSC and breath print). The study did not report any usable data and hence could not be included in the meta-analysis. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Cetylpyridinium chloride 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 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.5 [-0.83, -0.17] | 1 study · 47 participants | Very low |
Chlorine dioxide + zinc 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 -20.53 [-38.52, -2.54] | 1 study · 41 participants | Ungraded |
1000 mg champignon extract vs 50 mg champignon extract 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 -5.32 [-18.14, 7.5] | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Essential oil 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 2 weeks Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.09 [-0.47, 0.29] | 1 study · 45 participants | Very low |
Cinnamon herbal mouthwash; Nanosil (hydrogen peroxide) mouthwash; Irsha mouthwash vs Water (negative control) and zinc solution (positive control) 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 | Talebian 2009 (cross-over study) tested cinnamon herbal, Nanosil and Irsha mouthwashes versus water (negative control) and zinc solution (positive control); VSC by halimeter. We could not include the results in the… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Oil water two-phase mouthwash (with cetylpyridinium chloride) vs Control mouthwash Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), sulphide monitor · 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 -11.0 [-25.26, 3.26] | 1 study · 50 participants | Ungraded |
Triclosan mouthwash (with and without alcohol); zinc lactate + chlorhexidine + cetylpyridinium mouthwash vs Placebo mouthwash Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) and OLT scores · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Lopez Jornet 2003 (4-arm RCT) compared triclosan mouthwash with and without alcohol and a zinc lactate + chlorhexidine + cetylpyridinium mouthwash versus placebo mouthwash (VSC by halimeter and OLT). We could not… | 1 study | Ungraded |
1000 mg champignon extract vs Placebo Dentist-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 | Dentist-reported OLT score: listed in the Summary of findings table but no data reported. No data were reported for dentist-reported OLT score. | 0 studies | No studies |
Toothbrushing + 0.075% cetylpyridinium chloride mouthwash vs Toothbrushing 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 -0.48 [-0.72, -0.24] | 1 study · 70 participants | Low |
0.6% eucalyptus chewing gum vs Placebo 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 [-0.31, 0.11] | 1 study · 65 participants | Very low |
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… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Garcia 2014 (2-arm RCT) compared essential oil mouthwash versus placebo mouthwash (VSC by halimeter). We could not include the results in the meta-analysis because of the missing SD and P value. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Miswak (Salvadora persica) mouthwash vs Chlorhexidine 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 1 week Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD 0.01 [-0.95, 0.97] | 1 study · 21 participants | Very low |
0.2% zinc sulphate toothpaste vs Placebo toothpaste (without zinc) 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 -11.3 [-20.45, -2.15] | 1 study · 188 participants | Ungraded |
Miswak (Salvadora persica) mouthwash vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash Patient self-assessment VAS (scale 0 to 10) · 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 -0.18 [-1.59, 1.23] | 1 study · 21 participants | Very low |
0.6% eucalyptus chewing gum vs 0.4% eucalyptus 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 · 64 participants | Ungraded |
Toothbrushing + 0.075% cetylpyridinium chloride mouthwash vs Toothbrushing Patient-reported OLT score · 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 | 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 |
Pycnogenol chewing gum vs Placebo chewing gum VSC: hydrogen sulphide · 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 -114.9 [-206.59, -23.21] | 1 study · 21 participants | Ungraded |
Zinc chloride + sodium fluoride dentifrice vs Control dentifrice (sodium fluoride) Adverse events · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Payne 2011 reported 19 non-oral and 12 oral adverse effects. The oral effects were tingling sensation in lips, dry mouth or sore gums. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Miswak (Salvadora persica) stick vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash Patient self-assessment VAS (scale 0 to 10) · 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 -0.26 [-1.16, 0.64] | 1 study · 24 participants | Very low |
Chlorine dioxide mouthrinse (with tongue scraping) vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash (with tongue scraping) VSC: hydrogen sulphide · 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 -11.0 [-31.61, 9.61] | 1 study · 22 participants | Ungraded |
Protease cysteine + actinidine tablets vs Placebo tablets Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), OralChroma · 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 -45.8 [-258.38, 166.78] | 1 study · 14 participants | Ungraded |
0.3% triclosan + PVM/MA + sodium fluoride toothpaste vs Placebo toothpaste Volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), 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 | Niles 1999 (cross-over trial) compared 0.3% triclosan + 2.0% PVM/MA + 0.243% NaF toothpaste versus placebo toothpaste; VSC by gas chromatograph. We could not use the results in the meta-analysis as there was no… | 1 study | Ungraded |
Cetylpyridinium chloride mouthwash vs Placebo 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 · 47 participants | Ungraded |
Chlorine dioxide mouthrinse (with tongue scraping) vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash (with tongue scraping) Adverse events · 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 | Wirthlin 2011 reported altered taste sensation as the adverse event. OLT scores could not be included in the analysis as the group-wise data were not given. | 1 study · 22 participants | Ungraded |
Mouthwash (amine/stannous fluoride; or chlorhexidine + cetylpyridinium + zinc) vs Chlorhexidine mouthwash or tap water OLT and VSC scores · Adolescents and adults aged over 16 years with clinical or self-assessed halitosis of oral origin; excluding induced… · 7 days Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | Wigger-Alberti 2010 mouthwash data (ASF; CHX + CPC + Zn; CHX; tap water) were calculated from a graph (Additional Table 1) but not included, as the report did not give details of sample size per group. | 1 study | Ungraded |
Pycnogenol chewing gum vs Placebo chewing gum VSC: methyl mercaptan · 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 -8.4 [-24.95, 8.15] | 1 study · 21 participants | Ungraded |
Chlorhexidine + zinc acetate 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 months Interventions for managing halitosis (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.2 [-0.58, 0.18] | 1 study · 44 participants | Very low |
Pycnogenol chewing gum vs Placebo chewing gum VSC: methyl sulphide · 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 -4.7 [-27.01, 17.61] | 1 study · 21 participants | Ungraded |