Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

574 questions · 721 findings · 67 reviews · Oral Health

No studies found 93 · 12.9%GRADE not reported 450 · 62.4%Very low 82 · 11.4%Low 73 · 10.1%Moderate 21 · 2.9%High 2 · 0.3%

Fluoride gel (topically applied; operator- or self-applied; any fluoride agent/concentration; frequency at least once a year) vs placebo or no treatment

Proportion of children not remaining caries-free · Children with primary (deciduous) teeth (younger children)

Fluoride gel (topically applied; operator- or self-applied; any… showed no clear difference in proportion of children not remaining caries-free compared with placebo or no treatment; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Resin sealant (with or without flossing advice) vs Flossing advice (non-invasive control)

Caries (lesion) progression (radiographic) · Dentate children and adults with non-cavitated proximal caries lesions extending into enamel or dentine (not pulp) in primary or permanent…

Resin sealant (with or without flossing advice) led to lower caries (lesion) progression (radiographic) compared with flossing advice (non-invasive control); GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Severe early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls

Relative abundance of Veillonella spp. · Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls

Veillonella spp. mean relative abundance was lower in the S-ECC group; no comparative effect estimate or CI was reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Severe early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls

Relative abundance of S. mutans in saliva · Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls

S. mutans median relative abundance was higher in the S-ECC group, without a comparative effect estimate or CI.

1 finding from 1 review

Severe early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls

Streptococcus relative abundance · Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls

Streptococcus mean relative abundance was slightly higher in the S-ECC group; no comparative effect estimate or CI was reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Severe early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls

Veillonella spp. and Streptococcus mutans interaction · Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls

The study reported a possible role for Veillonella spp. in supporting cariogenic species, without a quantitative effect estimate.

1 finding from 1 review

Severe early childhood caries vs Caries-free controls

Veillonella dispar relative abundance · Children under 6 years with severe early childhood caries and caries-free controls

Veillonella dispar median relative abundance was higher in the S-ECC group, without a comparative effect estimate or CI.

1 finding from 1 review

Glass ionomer sealant (with fluoride gel plus dentifrice) vs Fluoride gel plus fluoride toothpaste/dentifrice (non-invasive control)

Caries (lesion) progression (radiographic) · Dentate children and adults with non-cavitated proximal caries lesions extending into enamel or dentine (not pulp) in primary or permanent…

Glass ionomer sealant (with fluoride gel plus dentifrice) showed no clear difference in caries (lesion) progression (radiographic) compared with fluoride gel plus fluoride toothpaste/dentifrice (non-invasive…; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Prenatal vitamin D level ≤50 nmol/L vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries · Children aged 2 to 8 years

The review reported a lower odds ratio at maternal prenatal vitamin D ≤50 nmol/L than at ≤35 nmol/L, without a numeric value in the available sources.

1 finding from 1 review

Prenatal vitamin D deficiency (low maternal 25(OH)D during pregnancy) vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries prevalence · Children aged 2 to 8 years

The review reported 44% dental caries prevalence among children of mothers with low prenatal vitamin D.

2 findings from 1 review

Prenatal vitamin D deficiency (low maternal 25(OH)D during pregnancy) vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries · Children aged 2 to 8 years

The review reported an OR of 1.32 when prenatal vitamin D was measured at 6 to 38 gestational weeks.

2 findings from 1 review

Prenatal vitamin D level ≤35 nmol/L vs Adequate prenatal vitamin D (sufficient maternal 25(OH)D)

Dental caries · Children aged 2 to 8 years

The review reported a slightly higher odds ratio at maternal prenatal vitamin D ≤35 nmol/L than at ≤50 nmol/L, without a numeric value in the available sources.

1 finding from 1 review

Traditional screening (referral card given if the inspecting dentist judges the child needs to see a dentist) vs No screening

Proportion of children with treated/untreated caries (receipt of dental care) · School children (aged 4 to 15 years), primary and secondary schools in the UK and India

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

1 finding from 1 review

Analogue (conventional) radiographs vs Digital radiographs (direct within-person / paired comparison); reference standard: histology, excavation, or enhanced visual examination

Specificity 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…
2 findings from 1 review

Analogue (conventional) radiographs vs Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) (direct within-person / paired comparison); reference standard: histology

Diagnostic accuracy: analogue versus CBCT (within-person, not pooled) · Asymptomatic children, adolescents, or adults presenting for clinical examination (in vivo studies), or extracted teeth of children or…
1 finding from 1 review
  • Imaging modalities to inform the detection and diagnosis of early caries 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
    Up to 3 months between index test and reference standard (in vivo studies)
    Direct comparison analogue vs CBCT (within-person): 6 datasets from 3 studies (737 tooth sites or surfaces) provided data, but the results could not be pooled; only individual study results are shown (Figure 21). No…
    3 studies
    GRADE not reported

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) vs Digital radiographs (direct within-person / paired comparison); reference standard: histology

Specificity 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…
2 findings from 1 review

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) vs Digital radiographs (direct within-person / paired comparison); reference standard: histology

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…
2 findings from 1 review

Analogue (conventional) radiographs vs Digital radiographs (direct within-person / paired comparison); reference standard: histology, excavation, or enhanced visual examination

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…
2 findings 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