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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.
5,762 questions in 263 reviews · Dental caries
current versionsNo studies 321 · 5.6%Ungraded 4,450 · 77.2%Very low 455 · 7.9%Low 297 · 5.2%Moderate 200 · 3.5%High 39 · 0.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) vs Children and adolescents without JIA (healthy peers) Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) Oral health in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis - a systematic review and… (2019) | Santos et al. [29] found oral health status had little or no effect on well-being with no significant difference between JIA and healthy groups (SF:13-B-PCPQ); Leksell et al. [38] found orofacial symptoms influenced… | 2 studies · 111 participants | Ungraded |
Rubber/elastomeric cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Interdental brushing plus toothbrushing Harms and adverse effects · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | Harms and adverse outcomes (SoF): Not reported. Yost 2006 performed examinations of the oral soft tissue at the final visit but did not report the findings; Graziani 2017 and Smith 1988 did not measure adverse effects. | 1 study | Ungraded |
10% CPP-ACP paste vs 5% NaF varnish Arrest or reversal of noncavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface · Children and adults with noncavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface (primary and permanent teeth) · 9-12 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 0.48 [0.38, 0.6] | 3 studies · 4672 participants | Moderate |
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) vs Children and adolescents without JIA (healthy peers) Oral hygiene / dental plaque (Plaque Index, OHI-S) · Children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) Oral health in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis - a systematic review and… (2019) | Some studies showed a statistically higher Plaque Index or Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) in the JIA group [23, 25, 28, 31]; other studies did not find this association [22, 26, 27, 29, 30, 39]. Meta-analysis… | NR | Ungraded |
Oral irrigation plus toothbrushing vs Flossing plus toothbrushing Plaque · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) · 1 month Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | SMD 0.31 [-0.08, 0.70] | 2 studies · 133 participants | Very low |
Residence in weakly contaminated area (approx. 1-5 Ci/km2) vs Residence in non-contaminated (non-exposed) area (<1 Ci/km2) Dental caries experience (DMFT/dmft index) · Children aged 12-15 years (adolescents) · weak contamination A systematic review of the caries prevalence among children living in Chernobyl fallout countries. (2019) | WMD 0.33 [0.11, 0.55] | 1 study · 127 participants | Ungraded |
Learning disability (CLD) vs No learning disability (CNLD) Caries experience in primary teeth (dmft/deft) · Children aged 1-18 years · Disability: autism Dental caries experience, care index and restorative index in children with learning disabilities and… (2019) | SMD 0.43 [-0.53, 1.39] | 4 studies | Ungraded |
Rubber/elastomeric cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Interdental brushing plus toothbrushing Periodontitis (probing pocket depth) · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | Two studies measured periodontitis but data not presented or usable (Smith 1988 PPD unusable; Graziani 2017 measured PPD but no data). | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Salvadora persica (miswak) mouthrinse vs Chlorhexidine mouthrinse Post-intervention mean plaque score · Medically healthy individuals (adults and children, 6-60 years) · Post-intervention, Study quality: high-quality studies The antiplaque/anticariogenic efficacy of Salvadora persica (Miswak) mouthrinse in comparison to that of… (2019) | MD 0.19 [0.06, 0.31] | 8 studies · 286 participants | Ungraded |
Oral irrigation plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone Interproximal caries · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | No included study assessed caries as an outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Rubber/elastomeric cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone Interproximal caries · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | No included study assessed caries as an outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Interdental brushing plus toothbrushing vs Flossing plus toothbrushing Periodontitis (probing pocket depth) · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) · 4 to 6 weeks Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.06 [-0.27, 0.16] | 3 studies · 107 participants | Low |
Intervention NR Dental caries prevalence · Children (<12 years) and adolescents (12-18 years) with type 1 diabetes · Mean age: >10 years Prevalence of dental caries in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and… (2019) | Prevalence 0.57 [0.45, 0.68] | 6 studies · 338 participants | Ungraded |
30% silver diamine fluoride vs Glass ionomer cement Coronal carious lesions prevention · Children with coronal carious lesions (primary dentition) · 12 months, Primary dentition Silver diamine fluoride for managing carious lesions: an umbrella review. (2019) | Prevented Fraction -6 | NR | Ungraded |
5% NaF varnish vs No treatment Arrest or reversal of noncavitated facial/lingual carious lesions · Children and adults with noncavitated carious lesions on facial/lingual surfaces (primary and permanent teeth) · 9 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 2.3 [1.58, 3.34] | 1 study · 142 participants | Low |
Patient-used 5000 ppm F toothpaste, daily vs 1450 ppm F (conventional) toothpaste, daily Adverse effects · Orthodontic patients of any age with fixed braces (new DLs assessed at debond) · At debond (end of orthodontic treatment) Fluorides for preventing early tooth decay (demineralised lesions) during fixed brace treatment (2019) · Cochrane | SoF 3. Adverse effects: none of the trials reported this outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Rubber/elastomeric cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone Gingivitis (gingival index) · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) · 1 month Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.01 [-0.19, 0.21] | 1 study · 12 participants | Very low |
Longer follow-up vs Shorter follow-up Annual increment in DMFT (D3) · Children and adolescents with permanent dentition · Per additional year of follow-up, Adjusted for groups 1-3 including decade and preventive intervention Caries Progression Rates Revisited: A Systematic Review. (2019) | Meta-regression beta per year of follow-up 0.07 [-0.24, 0.39] | 13 studies · 24753 participants | Ungraded |
Dental cavity liner (e.g. calcium hydroxide, glass ionomer, resin-modified glass ionomer, or flowable composite) placed under the restoration vs No liner (resin-based composite bonded directly to the tooth) Adverse events · Adults or children with a Class I or Class II resin-based composite restoration in a permanent posterior tooth Dental cavity liners for Class I and Class II resin‐based composite restorations (2019) · Cochrane | None reported. No adverse events were reported in any of the included studies (0 studies contributed adverse-events data). | 0 studies | No studies |
Wooden cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone Periodontitis (probing pocket depth) · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | No included study assessed periodontitis as an outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Colour clinical examination (visual shade categorization: yellow, light brown, dark brown, black) vs Hardness clinical examination (tactile texture categorization: soft, medium/leathery, hard) Discriminant power for caries severity: mean difference in log10 CFU (microbial load) between lesion categories · Patients with dentine carious lesions (deciduous/permanent teeth; children and adults) · B-DB/LB/Y (colour) vs S-M/H (hardness) Reliability of colour and hardness clinical examinations in detecting dentine caries severity: a systematic… (2019) | Only one study (Beighton et al.) permitted this comparison: the mean log10 CFU difference was 2.32 for the colour contrast (black vs rest) versus 3.72 for the hardness contrast (soft vs medium/hard); hardness appeared… | 1 study | Ungraded |
1450 to 1500 ppm F toothpaste vs 440 to 550 ppm F toothpaste Caries increment, surface index D(M)FS · Children and adolescents with immature permanent dentition (aged 5 to 16 years at study start) · Closest to 36 months Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries (2019) · Cochrane | SMD -0.24 [-0.44, -0.04] | NR | Low |
1700 to 2200 ppm F toothpaste vs 1000 to 1250 ppm F toothpaste Caries increment, surface index D(M)FS · Children and adolescents with immature permanent dentition (aged 5 to 16 years at study start) · Closest to 36 months Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries (2019) · Cochrane | SMD -0.03 [-0.12, 0.06] | 5 studies | Low |
30% SDF solution (once weekly for 3 weeks) vs 5% NaF varnish (once weekly for 3 weeks) Arrest of advanced cavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface · Preschool children with advanced cavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface (primary teeth) · 12 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 2.08 [1.59, 2.71] | 1 study · 309 participants | High |
5% NaF varnish vs No treatment Arrest or reversal of noncavitated occlusal carious lesions · Children and adults with noncavitated carious lesions on occlusal surfaces (primary and permanent teeth) · 8-12 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 1.97 [1.63, 2.4] | 7 studies · 1575 participants | Moderate |
Patient-used 5000 ppm F toothpaste, daily throughout treatment vs 1450 ppm F (conventional) toothpaste, daily Number of participants with new demineralised lesions (DLs) · Orthodontic patients of any age with fixed braces (new DLs assessed at debond) · At debond; follow-up 1.8 years Fluorides for preventing early tooth decay (demineralised lesions) during fixed brace treatment (2019) · Cochrane | RR 0.68 [0.46, 1.00] | 1 study · 380 participants | Low |
No intervention (single-arm cohort estimates) vs No comparator First dentine caries incidence rate per person-year at risk (D3) · Caries-free children and adolescents with permanent dentition · Follow-up of at least 3 years Caries Progression Rates Revisited: A Systematic Review. (2019) | Incidence rate per person-year at risk 0.09 [0.09, 0.10] | 1 study | Ungraded |
Professionally-applied 12,300 ppm F APF foam, every 2 months vs 0 ppm F placebo foam Number of participants with more severe DLs (severity of DLs) · Orthodontic patients of any age with fixed braces (new DLs assessed at debond) · At debond (end of orthodontic treatment) Fluorides for preventing early tooth decay (demineralised lesions) during fixed brace treatment (2019) · Cochrane | SoF 2. Number of participants with more severe DLs: none of the trials reported this outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Pulpotomy vs Pulpectomy Radiographic failure · Children with carious vital pulp exposure in primary incisors · Longest follow-up (18-23 months), Sensitivity analysis excluding Aminabadi et al. (outlier) Pulpotomy versus pulpectomy in the treatment of vital pulp exposure in primary incisors. A systematic review… (2019) | RR 0.45 [0.25, 0.83] | 2 studies · 246 participants | Ungraded |
0.2% NaF mouthrinse + supervised toothbrushing vs No treatment Arrest or reversal of noncavitated occlusal carious lesions · Children and adults with noncavitated carious lesions on occlusal surfaces (primary and permanent teeth) · 8-12 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 1.94 [1.54, 2.46] | 7 studies · 1575 participants | Moderate |
Intervention NR Dental caries prevalence · Children (<12 years) and adolescents (12-18 years) with type 1 diabetes · Mean age: <=10 years Prevalence of dental caries in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and… (2019) | Prevalence 0.80 [0.74, 0.85] | 4 studies · 200 participants | Ungraded |
Colour clinical examination (visual shade categorization: yellow, light brown, dark brown, black) vs Hardness clinical examination (tactile texture categorization: soft, medium/leathery, hard) Discriminant power for caries severity: mean difference in log10 CFU (microbial load) between lesion categories · Patients with dentine carious lesions (deciduous/permanent teeth; children and adults) · B/DB-LB/Y (colour) vs S-M/H (hardness) Reliability of colour and hardness clinical examinations in detecting dentine caries severity: a systematic… (2019) | WMD -4.741 [-4.979, -4.502] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
1700 to 2200 ppm F toothpaste vs 440 to 550 ppm F toothpaste Caries increment, tooth index D(M)FT · Children and adolescents with immature permanent dentition (aged 5 to 16 years at study start) · Closest to 36 months Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries (2019) · Cochrane | SMD -0.15 [-0.46, 0.16] | NR | Low |
5% NaF varnish vs No treatment Arrest or reversal of noncavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface · Children and adults with noncavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface (primary and permanent teeth) · 9-12 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 2.15 [1.8, 2.57] | 3 studies · 4672 participants | Moderate |
No intervention (single-arm cohort estimates) vs No comparator First dentine caries incidence rate per person-year at risk (D3) · Caries-free children and adolescents with permanent dentition · Follow-up of at least 3 years Caries Progression Rates Revisited: A Systematic Review. (2019) | Incidence rate per person-year at risk 0.06 [0.06, 0.07] | 1 study | Ungraded |
CPP-ACP agent (e.g., GC Tooth Mousse, MI Paste Plus) vs Control (no treatment / negative control) Enamel surface microhardness · Extracted human teeth with early/artificial enamel lesions (in vitro) · 5 to 7 days, Knoop microhardness Evaluation of the efficacy of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate on remineralization of white… (2019) | SMD 3.52 [2.68, 4.36] | 3 studies · 64 participants | Ungraded |
Oral irrigation plus toothbrushing vs Flossing plus toothbrushing Interproximal caries · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | No included study assessed caries as an outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) vs Children and adolescents without JIA (healthy peers) Periodontal conditions (gingival inflammation, bleeding on probing, probing depth, clinical attachment loss) · Children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) Oral health in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis - a systematic review and… (2019) | Many studies documented poorer periodontal status among children/adolescents with JIA: more gingival inflammation and bleeding [22, 29, 31], bleeding on probing [25], deeper probing depth [25, 26] and periodontal… | NR | Ungraded |
1450 ppm F toothpaste vs 440 ppm F toothpaste Caries increment, tooth index d(m)ft · Young children with primary (deciduous) dentition (aged 1 to 6 years at study start) · Follow-up: 60 months Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries (2019) · Cochrane | MD -0.34 [-0.59, -0.09] | 1 study · 2362 participants | Moderate |
Er:YAG laser preparation combined with acid-etching vs Acid-etching (phosphoric acid) alone Dental anxiety (subjective and objective scores) · Children (ages 6-12) receiving pit-and-fissure sealants The clinical effects of laser preparation of tooth surfaces for fissure sealants placement: a systematic… (2019) | Shindova 2018 (Er:YAG laser+acid vs acid-etching): no significant difference between initial and final subjective anxiety scores for the two groups; use of the Er:YAG laser did not provoke anxiety (P > 0.05). | 1 study · 64 participants | Ungraded |
CPP-ACP paste (casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate; e.g., Tooth Mousse/MI Paste) vs Placebo paste without CPP-ACP (fluoride toothpaste control) Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF), fluorescence loss · Patients with early enamel white spot lesions (children/adolescents, ages 2.5-18 years) · 4 weeks to 1 year Evaluation of the efficacy of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate on remineralization of white… (2019) | MD 0.08 [-0.91, 1.08] | 2 studies · 129 participants | Ungraded |
Longitudinal follow-up over time (natural caries progression; no assigned intervention) vs Within-cohort change from baseline to follow-up (>=3 y) Annual increment in DMFS (permanent dentition) · Children and adolescents (permanent dentition, D3, up to 21 y), Western or comparable populations · Per year of follow-up, Baseline caries experience: high Caries Progression Rates Revisited: A Systematic Review. (2019) | 0.44 to 1.77 | 5 studies · 2595 participants | Ungraded |
1700 to 2200 ppm F toothpaste vs 440 to 550 ppm F toothpaste Caries increment, surface index D(M)FS · Children and adolescents with immature permanent dentition (aged 5 to 16 years at study start) · Closest to 36 months Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries (2019) · Cochrane | SMD -0.2 [-0.41, 0.01] | NR | Low |
38% SDF + potassium iodide solution (applied annually) vs 5% NaF varnish Arrest or reversal of noncavitated and cavitated root carious lesions · Adults (including institutionalized/older adults) with noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions on root surfaces… · 3-12 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 0.8 [0.05, 11.95] | 7 studies · 1304 participants | Very low |
Oral-health promotion programs (OHPPs): community-based oral-health education/training, supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and topical fluoride, dental screening, and dietary advice vs No oral-health promotion program, or a differing (usual-care) action under similar conditions Cost-effectiveness: probability of lower program cost per DMFT/S (incremental cost) · Children aged 6 years and older (healthy except for dental caries) · Age >= 6 years Clinical Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Oral-Health Promotion in Dental Caries Prevention among… (2019) | OR 0.00 [0.00, 48704.6] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Colour clinical examination (visual shade categorization: yellow, light brown, dark brown, black) vs Hardness clinical examination (tactile texture categorization: soft, medium/leathery, hard) Discriminant power for caries severity: mean difference in log10 CFU (microbial load) between lesion categories · Patients with dentine carious lesions (deciduous/permanent teeth; children and adults) · B/DB-LB/Y (colour) vs S/M-H (hardness) Reliability of colour and hardness clinical examinations in detecting dentine caries severity: a systematic… (2019) | WMD -3.369 [-3.595, -3.143] | 2 studies | Ungraded |
38% SDF solution (applied annually) vs 12% SDF solution (applied annually) Arrest of advanced cavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface · Preschool children with advanced cavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface (primary teeth) · 18 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 1.27 [1.18, 1.38] | 1 study · 799 participants | High |
Wooden cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Flossing plus toothbrushing Interproximal caries · Adults, 16 years and older (dentate) Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling… (2019) · Cochrane | No included study assessed caries as an outcome. | 0 studies | No studies |
1% chlorhexidine + 1% thymol varnish vs 38% SDF solution (applied annually) Arrest or reversal of noncavitated and cavitated root carious lesions · Adults (including institutionalized/older adults) with noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions on root surfaces… · 3-12 mo Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2019) | RR 0.88 [0.14, 5.6] | 7 studies · 1304 participants | Very low |
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) vs Children and adolescents without JIA (healthy peers) Dental caries in primary teeth (dmft index) · Children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) Oral health in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis - a systematic review and… (2019) | MD -1.16 [-3.02, 0.71] | 3 studies · 141 participants | Ungraded |