Findings

What do systematic reviews say?

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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

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

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%

Intervention not reported

Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment

The intervention showed no clear difference in initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Intervention not reported

Initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment

The intervention showed no clear difference in initiation of white spot lesions (WSL), visual-tactile assessment; GRADE not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Fluoride-releasing resin-based sealant vs Non-fluoride resin-based sealant

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 resin-based sealants, fluoride release did not significantly change WSL initiation (RR 0.71, wide CI); subgroup not separately GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review

Utilization of dental services assessment (care/restorative index; dental visits) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Dental service utilisation within the past year · Healthy Emirati preschool children in the United Arab Emirates

Utilization of dental services among healthy Emirati preschoolers was very low, with most children never having visited a dentist and very low care indices (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Down syndrome (oral health status) vs Healthy controls

Oral health status (caries, DMFT, calculus, erosion, malocclusion, treatment indices) · Children with Down syndrome in Dubai

One study found children with Down syndrome had similar caries prevalence but higher DMFT, calculus, erosion and malocclusion than controls, with better restorative-care access (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review

Systemic sclerosis (SSc / scleroderma) vs SSc-free individuals (controls)

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Adults (general and hospital populations assessed in case-control studies)

No statistically significant difference in DMFT index between SSc patients and controls (SMD -0.03, CI includes 0); certainty ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Early childhood caries (ECC) vs Caries-free controls

Iron deficiency (as defined by trialists) · Preschool children (<6 years)

In a sensitivity analysis excluding one outlier study, ECC remained associated with higher odds of iron deficiency (OR 2.76, 95% CI 2.42 to 3.13); ungraded.

2 findings from 1 review

Clear aligners (Invisalign / thermoformed aligners) vs Fixed appliances

Full-mouth bleeding score (FMBS) · Adolescents/teenagers undergoing orthodontic treatment

A single study reported a lower full-mouth bleeding score with aligners versus fixed appliances in adolescents at 12 months (MD -20.44, 95% CI -22.98 to -17.90; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Sealant or coating agent (with or 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

The additional use of a sealant probably reduces the initiation of white spot lesions during fixed orthodontic treatment compared with no sealant (RR 0.70), but the certainty of evidence is very low.

1 finding from 1 review

Ulcerative colitis (UC) vs Healthy controls without IBD

Periodontal disease (periodontitis) coincidence · Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and controls without IBD; adults, both sexes

Patients with ulcerative colitis have about 3-fold higher odds of periodontal disease than controls (pooled OR 3.25, 95% CI 2.23-4.74; 5 studies; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review