Lactobacillus spp. mean levels/counts · Children and adolescents aged 0-18 years with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (CLP)
No significant difference in Lactobacillus spp. presence was reported; GRADE was not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Lactobacillus count (CFU/mL) · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Probiotics may make little to no difference to Lactobacillus count versus control (MD -0.78 CFU/mL, 95%CI -1.65 to 0.09; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Pattern of dental service utilisation and barriers · Adult residents of slums and non-slum urban settings of LMICs
Dental service use is low, episodic and pain-driven, with widespread self-care and cost/funding barriers; ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Utilisation was generally low, episodic and mostly problem/pain-driven (pain-driven visits ~70-99%); widespread self-care/home remedies were used as alternatives to professional care; lack of funds/cost, income, age,…
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Frequency of mouth cleaning · Adult residents of slums and non-slum urban settings of LMICs
Twice-daily cleaning (recommended) is uncommon; most clean once, in the morning; ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Cariogenic microbiota counts (Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus spp.)
1 finding from 1 review
Dental caries prevalence · Adult residents of slums and non-slum urban settings of LMICs
Dental caries prevalence in LMIC urban/slum populations ranges widely (13%-76%); not GRADE-rated (narrative synthesis).
1 finding from 1 review
Prevalence of dental caries varied across age, gender and socioeconomic class, ranging from 13% (Nigeria) to 76% (Central India); prevalence >50% reported in India, Brazil, Malaysia and Rwanda; generally higher in…
14 studies
GRADE not reported
Positive predictive value · Children and adults with primary or permanent dentition undergoing dental caries assessment
Positive predictive value was reported in 10 studies and varied widely across studies (about 42% to 99%); no pooled estimate and certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Salivary pH · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Probiotics may make little to no difference to salivary pH versus control (MD -0.12 pH units, 95%CI -0.72 to 0.48; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Sensitivity · Children and adults with primary or permanent dentition undergoing dental caries assessment
Across 13 studies, the sensitivity of teledentistry (photographic) caries diagnosis versus visual examination ranged from 48% to 98.3%; the review pooled no estimate and did not grade certainty.
1 finding from 1 review
Dental caries in children · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Probiotics probably make little to no difference to the number of dental caries versus control (MD -0.24 carious pieces, 95%CI -0.72 to 0.23; low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Inter-examiner reliability · Children and adults with primary or permanent dentition undergoing dental caries assessment
Inter-examiner reliability ranged from kappa 0.44 to 0.91 across 13 studies (moderate to almost perfect agreement); certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Negative predictive value · Children and adults with primary or permanent dentition undergoing dental caries assessment
Negative predictive value was reported in 10 studies and ranged widely across studies (about 31% to 99.5%); no pooled estimate and certainty not graded.
1 finding from 1 review
Streptococcus mutans count · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Probiotics probably reduce Streptococcus mutans count versus control (MD -0.40 CFU/mL, 95%CI -0.57 to -0.24; moderate certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Gingival bleeding (various bleeding indices) · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Only one trial (Borrell 2021) reported the bleeding index, showing slightly more bleeding with probiotics (MD 0.10, 95%CI 0.02 to 0.18); not pooled or GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Moderate gingival inflammation / gingival health · Persons with disabilities (children and adults with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, or multiple disabilities)…
Gingival inflammation is common among persons with disabilities in Saudi Arabia (moderate-to-severe up to about 60%), reported narratively without a pooled comparative estimate (ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Plaque index (PI) / oral hygiene · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Probiotics may make little to no difference to the bacterial plaque index versus control (MD 0.21, 95%CI -0.55 to 0.96; very low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Streptococcus viridans count (CFU/mL) · Children and/or adolescents (<18 years) without background systemic disease
Only one trial (Mishra 2014) reported S. viridans count, showing a higher count with probiotics (MD 0.40 CFU/mL, 95%CI 0.33 to 0.47); not pooled or GRADE-rated.
1 finding from 1 review
Use of alternative/indigenous mouth-cleaning implements · Adult residents of slums and non-slum urban settings of LMICs
Indigenous/alternative cleaning tools and home remedies are widely used, more so in rural/slum groups; ungraded.
1 finding from 1 review
Alternative implements included toothpowder, chewing-stick, neem, charcoal, sand, snuff, salt, miswak, cotton wool and the fingers; native/indigenous tools were used more by rural and slum/disadvantaged residents than…
Studies not reported
GRADE not reported
Streptococcus mutans count · Children and adolescents aged 0-18 years with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (CLP)
No difference in mean Streptococcus mutans presence was reported; GRADE was not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Comparable diagnostic accuracy (photographic vs visual examination)
1 finding from 1 review