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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

2,745 questions · 4,389 findings · 203 reviews · Dental caries

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No studies found 39 · 0.9%GRADE not reported 3,844 · 87.6%Very low 198 · 4.5%Low 137 · 3.1%Moderate 134 · 3.1%High 37 · 0.8%

Prison-nursery setting / incarcerated-mother household (oral health status) vs Counterparts (community children)

Oral health status (caries, oral hygiene, treatment indices) · Preschool children of incarcerated mothers in UAE prison nurseries

One study found high caries (89.8%) and poor oral hygiene with low restorative care among preschool children of incarcerated mothers (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Visual examination (VE) vs Histological validation of dental tissues (gold standard)

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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Sealant/coating agent WITHOUT fluoride release applied to teeth with fixed appliances vs No sealant (control/no treatment)

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

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

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

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

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

Gingivitis (assessed by gingival index or WHO criteria) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Gingival health at 6 months · Children and adolescents in the United Arab Emirates (Sharjah)

Gingivitis and high plaque levels were common among UAE children and adolescents, more likely in females and older children (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) vs Healthy controls without IBD

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Patients with IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) and controls without IBD

Most included studies reported higher dental caries indices (DMF-t/DMF-s) in IBD patients (especially ulcerative colitis), but findings were inconsistent across studies and were not meta-analyzed or GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review
  • Oral Health Status in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review. 2021 All outcomes
    Hospital/clinic-based case-control and cross-sectional studies in 11 countries; 15 studies total (1748 participants: 1104 Crohn's disease, 534 ulcerative colitis, 110 IBD-form unspecified)
    Not meta-analyzed (heterogeneity of caries indices). Abstract: "in most studies, patients with IBD were characterized by higher values of caries indices." Table 3 examples (IBD/subtype vs control): Zhang 2020 DMF-t…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported