Occlusal caries detection accuracy · Human permanent posterior teeth (premolars and molars) in patients, occlusal (pit-and-fissure) surfaces
No eligible QLF studies met the meta-analysis inclusion criteria (candidate QLF studies were identified but none had acceptable index/reference tests and reporting quality).
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
0 studies
No studies found
Intervention not reported
Relative abundance of Veillonella spp.
The intervention showed no clear difference in relative abundance of Veillonella spp.; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment · People receiving orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances (upper and/or lower full arch)
Sealant use reduced the incidence of new white spot lesions versus no sealant (very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Dental caries prevalence · General population in Ethiopia (all ages, age range 6-100 years)
Caries prevalence was highest in the Tigray region at 46.59% (95% CI 24.64 to 68.54); certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Diagnostic accuracy for occlusal caries detection at the caries detection level (D0 versus D1-D4) · Extracted human permanent posterior teeth (premolars and molars), occlusal (pit-and-fissure) surfaces
In in vitro, fibre-optic transillumination pooled sensitivity was 0.97 (95% CI -0.92 to 0.99) for occlusal caries at the caries detection level; ungraded.
4 findings from 1 review
Sensitivity 0.97 [-0.92, 0.99]
1 study
GRADE not reported
AUC 0.92
1 study
GRADE not reported
DOR 38.33 [10.15, 144.77]
1 study
GRADE not reported
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Intervention not reported
Dental caries prevalence · General population in Ethiopia (all ages, age range 6-100 years)
The pooled prevalence of dental caries in Ethiopia (2000-2020) was 40.98% (95% CI 31.62 to 50.34), with very high heterogeneity (I2=98.6%); certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Gingival inflammation-related index · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment
A single study reported lower simplified gingival index with aligners versus fixed appliances in adolescents at 1 month (MD -8.46, 95% CI -10.47 to -6.45; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
MD -8.46 [-10.47, -6.45]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Diagnostic accuracy for proximal caries detection (dentin detection level) · Patients with permanent posterior teeth, proximal surfaces assessed clinically (in vivo)
Under in vivo conditions, visual examination had a pooled specificity of 0.76 (95% CI 0.11, 0.99) for proximal caries detection at the dentin detection level; ungraded.
4 findings from 1 review
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Dental caries · Individuals in East Africa assessed for dental caries
Poor tooth brushing was associated with significantly higher odds of dental caries (OR 1.967, 95% CI 1.205 to 3.211); certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment · Patients of any age (11-40 years) receiving comprehensive/fixed orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances
For compomer-based bonding agents, fluoride release did not significantly change WSL initiation (RR 0.71); subgroup not separately GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Mean DMFT (decayed, missing, filled permanent teeth)
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Water samples with fluoride concentration outside the acceptable range
1 finding from 1 review
Masking effect / color improvement · Patients with white spot lesions or developmental enamel defects
Two studies compared resin infiltration with microabrasion, but no pooled or comparative effect estimate was reported (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
no estimate extracted
2 studies
GRADE not reported
Diagnostic accuracy for proximal caries detection (dentin detection level) · Extracted permanent posterior teeth with proximal surfaces (in vitro)
Under in vitro conditions, visual examination had a summary ROC AUC of 0.85 for proximal caries detection at the dentin detection level; ungraded.
4 findings from 1 review
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Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment · Patients of any age (11-40 years) receiving comprehensive/fixed orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances
Among non-fluoride sealants, WSL initiation was significantly reduced versus no sealant (RR 0.69); subgroup not separately GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Dental caries prevalence
1 finding from 1 review
Probing pocket depth (PPD/PD) · Adults undergoing orthodontic treatment
Aligners may reduce pocket depth compared with fixed appliances in adults at 6-12 weeks (MD -0.42 mm, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.12; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
White spot lesions (WSLs), patient level · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment
A single study found no significant difference in white spot lesion formation (patient level) between aligners and fixed appliances in adolescents at 9 months (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.10 to 1.04; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
RR 0.33 [0.10, 1.04]
1 study
GRADE not reported
Dentist satisfaction (masking effect) · Patients with dental fluorosis
Resin infiltration alone produced greater dentist-rated masking than in-office bleaching alone in one study (MD 3.97, 95% CI 3.33 to 4.61; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
MD 3.97 [3.33, 4.61]
1 study
GRADE not reported
White spot lesions assessed by laser fluorescence (DIAGNOdent) · Patients of any age (11-40 years) receiving comprehensive/fixed orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances
White spot lesions were also measured by laser fluorescence in 3 sealant-vs-no-sealant studies, but no meta-analysis was possible due to incompatible reporting.
1 finding from 1 review