Serum ferritin levels did not differ significantly between children with ECC and caries-free children (mean difference -5.80, 95% CI -11.97 to 0.37); ungraded.
White spot lesions were also measured by laser fluorescence in 3 fluoride-vs-non-fluoride studies, but no meta-analysis was possible due to incompatible reporting.
Frequent carbohydrate intake was associated with significantly higher odds of dental caries (OR 1.575, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.051); certainty not graded.
No statistically significant difference in number of teeth between SSc patients and controls (SMD -0.95, CI includes 0); certainty ungraded.
Caries prevalence in mixed dentition (6-12 years) was 41.3% (95% CI 33.5 to 49.2); certainty not graded.
The pooled mean DMFT (permanent dentition) in East Africa was 1.941 (95% CI 1.561 to 2.322); certainty not graded.
Females had significantly higher odds of dental caries than males (OR 1.333, 95% CI 1.129 to 1.575); certainty not graded.
In prospective cohorts, edentulous adults (0 teeth) had a higher cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality than adults with 20-32 teeth (RR 2.27, 95% CI 1.82 to 2.83; 8 cohort studies, I2=94%); GRADE per-analysis ratings reported in Supplementary File 7 (not available in provided sources).
No statistically significant difference in number of missing teeth between SSc patients and controls (SMD 0.55, CI includes 0); certainty ungraded.
Mean corpuscular volume was significantly lower in children with ECC than in caries-free children (mean difference -3.72, 95% CI -6.65 to -0.79); ungraded.
The intervention showed no clear difference in initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment; GRADE not reported.
Residency was not significantly associated with dental caries (OR 0.962, 95% CI 0.595 to 1.554); certainty not graded.
A single study reported a larger decalcification lesion area with aligners versus fixed appliances in adults at 3 months (MD 80.50 pixels, 95% CI 60.52 to 100.48; ungraded).
Fluoride-releasing coating materials do not appear to reduce WSL initiation more than non-fluoride coatings (RR 0.84, not significant); certainty of evidence is very low.
Bleaching before resin infiltration did not improve masking of fluorosis compared with infiltration alone (MD -0.30, 95% CI -0.98 to 0.39; moderate certainty).
For fibre-optic transillumination (FOTI), studies were identified (in vitro N=4, in vivo N=3) but none had sufficiently low risk of bias and adequate reporting to be pooled; no meta-analytic estimate could be derived.
No statistically significant difference in bleeding on probing between SSc patients and controls (SMD 1.05, CI includes 0); certainty ungraded.