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Search review questions
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Medium income vs High income Prevalence of fair/poor self-rated oral health · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2003-2004, United States Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 10.0 [3.8, 16.2] | 1 study · 4568 participants | Ungraded |
Diode laser vs Formocresol (FC) Radiological failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 2.00 [0.75, 5.33] | 1 study · 80 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride in gel vs Fluoride in dentifrice Caries increment in permanent teeth (DMFS change from baseline) · Children or adolescents · At least 1 year or school year, Network meta-regression covariate: randomization year Graphs of study contributions and covariate distributions for network meta-regression. (2018) | no estimate extracted | NR | Ungraded |
Fluoride in rinse vs Fluoride in dentifrice Caries increment in permanent teeth (DMFS change from baseline) · Children or adolescents · At least 1 year or school year, Network meta-regression covariate: randomization year Graphs of study contributions and covariate distributions for network meta-regression. (2018) | no estimate extracted | NR | Ungraded |
Erbium:YAG laser vs Calcium hydroxide (CH) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 24 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 0.62 [0.11, 3.56] | 1 study · 91 participants | Ungraded |
HDI (quantitative) vs Populations in countries with a higher Human Development Index (very high, HDI >=0.800) Association with dental caries experience (DMFT) by random-effects meta-regression · Adults aged 19-60 years · Unadjusted model Socioeconomic Factors and Caries in People between 19 and 60 Years of Age: An Update of a Systematic Review… (2018) | Meta-regression coefficient 20.17878 | NR | Ungraded |
Propolis vs Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 3.00 [0.13, 70.30] | 1 study · 50 participants | Ungraded |
Ferric sulphate (FS)/zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) pulpotomy vs Sedanol (ZOE) pulpectomy Radiological failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 24 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 0.60 [0.25, 1.46] | 1 study · 291 participants | Ungraded |
Populations with a lower proportion of university-educated people (<33.78% with university level) vs Populations with a higher proportion of university-educated people (>=33.78% with university level) Association with dental caries experience (DMFT) by random-effects meta-regression · Adults aged 19-60 years · Unadjusted model Socioeconomic Factors and Caries in People between 19 and 60 Years of Age: An Update of a Systematic Review… (2018) | Meta-regression coefficient -0.3066788 | NR | Ungraded |
Primary education vs University education Mean number of decayed teeth (mean DT) · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2003-2004, United States Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 0.43 [0.31, 0.54] | 1 study · 4568 participants | Ungraded |
Calcium hydroxide (CH) vs Zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 9.00 [0.52, 156.92] | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Electrofulguration + calcium hydroxide (CH) vs Electrofulguration + zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 0.83 [0.26, 2.73] | 1 study · 47 participants | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection (bitewing radiography) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Positive LR for detecting advanced proximal caries · Proximal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Conventional meta-analysis (all studies) Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Positive LR 9.82 [7.3, 13.3] | 22 studies | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection (bitewing radiography) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Negative LR for detecting advanced occlusal caries · Occlusal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Tailored to Germany Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Negative LR 0.54 [0.46, 0.63] | 36 studies | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection vs Reference standard (often histological; also invasive opening) All proximal carious lesions · Permanent molar surfaces in diagnostic accuracy studies (mostly in vitro; clinical) · Conventional meta-analysis (all studies) Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Specificity 90.0 [87, 92] | 38 studies | Ungraded |
Erbium:YAG laser vs Calcium hydroxide (CH) Radiological failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 24 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 0.31 [0.11, 0.90] | 1 study · 91 participants | Ungraded |
Calcium hydroxide + sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) vs Calcium hydroxide (CH) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 0.33 [0.01, 7.88] | 1 study · 62 participants | Ungraded |
Intervention NR Between-trial variance (fluoride caries NMR) · Random-effects NMR, independent interactions Graphs of study contributions and covariate distributions for network meta-regression. (2018) | Posterior median between-trial variance 0.03 [0.02, 0.05] | NR | Ungraded |
Vitapex (calcium hydroxide/iodoform) vs Zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) Radiological failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 6.56 [2.58, 16.67] | 4 studies · 161 participants | Low |
Visual caries detection (ICDAS visual/visual-tactile inspection) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Negative LR for detecting all (initial and advanced) occlusal caries · Occlusal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Tailored to Germany Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Negative LR 0.56 [0.46, 0.68] | 12 studies | Ungraded |
Biodentine vs Diode laser Outcome NR · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | Assessed pain, soft tissue, mobility, radiolucency, root resorption, premature tooth loss (Niranjani 2015); no clinical/radiological failure outcome; RR 2.00 (0.20 to 20.33) | 1 study · 40 participants | Ungraded |
Calcium hydroxide/iodoform (CH/iodoform) vs Calcium hydroxide (CH) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 1.13 [0.82, 1.54] | 1 study · 65 participants | Ungraded |
Metapex (calcium hydroxide/iodoform) vs RC Fill (ZOE with iodoform) Outcome NR · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | Assessed pain, radiolucency, root resorption, filling material anomaly (Ramar 2010); no significant differences | 1 study · 64 participants | Ungraded |
Self-etch adhesive + acetone-based total-etch adhesive vs Calcium hydroxide (CH) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6, 12 and 24 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 3.00 [0.13, 69.52] | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Low polymerization shrinkage resin composite (silorane, ormocer, bulk-fill or other modified-monomer composite) vs Conventional methacrylate-based resin composite Marginal adaptation (clinically detectable deterioration) · People with permanent posterior teeth restored with class I or II direct restorations · 18 months Meta-analysis of the clinical behavior of posterior direct resin restorations: Low polymerization shrinkage… (2018) | Only two studies, both testing silorane composites, evaluated marginal adaptation after 18 months; one favored the experimental group and one the control group, and the overall meta-analytic effect was not… | 2 studies | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection (bitewing radiography) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Negative LR for detecting all (initial and advanced) proximal caries · Proximal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Conventional meta-analysis (all studies) Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Negative LR 0.63 [0.56, 0.72] | 38 studies | Ungraded |
Secondary education vs University education Prevalence of fair/poor self-rated oral health · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2004-2006, Australia Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 2.7 [-0.4, 5.7] | 1 study · 5073 participants | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection (bitewing radiography) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Specificity for detecting all (initial and advanced) occlusal caries · Occlusal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Tailored to Egypt Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Specificity 80.4 [72, 87] | 11 studies | Ungraded |
Calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement vs Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6, 12 and 18 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | No clinical failure in any participant (Malekafzali 2011); not estimable | 1 study · 80 participants | Ungraded |
Biodentine vs Tempophore Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 and 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 1.08 [0.07, 16.36] | 1 study · 56 participants | Ungraded |
Total-etching 36% phosphoric acid + acetone-based total-etch adhesive vs Non-rinse conditioner + acetone-based total-etch adhesive Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 12 and 24 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 3.00 [0.13, 69.52] | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low |
Erbium:YAG laser vs Ferric sulphate (FS) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 24 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 5.31 [0.26, 107.86] | 1 study · 97 participants | Ungraded |
Visual caries detection (ICDAS visual/visual-tactile inspection) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Sensitivity for detecting advanced occlusal caries · Occlusal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Tailored to Germany Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Sensitivity 43.7 [37, 51] | 50 studies | Ungraded |
Ferric sulphate/MTA pulpotomy vs Zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) pulpectomy Radiological failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 18 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 0.84 [0.29, 2.39] | 1 study · 172 participants | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection (bitewing radiography) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Specificity for detecting advanced occlusal caries · Occlusal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Conventional meta-analysis (all studies) Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Specificity 89.3 [86, 92] | 44 studies | Ungraded |
38% SDF solution biannually vs 12% SDF solution biannually Arrest of advanced cavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface · Primary teeth with advanced cavitated carious lesions on any coronal surface · 30 months Nonrestorative Treatments for Caries: Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis. (2018) | RR 1.29 [1.21, 1.38] | 1 study · 799 participants | High |
Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) vs Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) + sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 and 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | No clinical failure in any participant (Akcay 2014); not estimable | 1 study · 62 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride in dentifrice vs Placebo Caries increment in permanent teeth · Children or adolescents · At least 1 year or school year, Randomisation year, NMR covariate Graphs of study contributions and covariate distributions for network meta-regression. (2018) | no estimate extracted | NR | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection (bitewing radiography) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Specificity for detecting advanced proximal caries · Proximal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Conventional meta-analysis (all studies) Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Specificity 95.5 [94, 97] | 22 studies | Ungraded |
Low income vs High income Mean number of decayed teeth (mean DT) · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2009, New Zealand Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 0.99 [0.49, 1.49] | 1 study · 2041 participants | Ungraded |
ProRoot MTA vs OrthoMTA Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 0.33 [0.01, 7.98] | 1 study · 94 participants | Ungraded |
Radiographic caries detection (bitewing radiography) vs Reference standard (histological validation or cavity/lesion opening; advanced = cavitated/dentin-involved lesions, all = enamel-confined initial lesions also counted) Positive LR for detecting all (initial and advanced) occlusal caries · Occlusal surfaces of permanent molars (demonstrated in 12-14 year-olds; underlying diagnostic accuracy studies, mostly… · Tailored to Egypt Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and… (2018) | Positive LR 2.02 [1.4, 2.9] | 11 studies | Ungraded |
Low income vs High income Mean number of decayed teeth (mean DT) · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2007-2009, Canada Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 0.63 [0.31, 0.95] | 1 study · 3278 participants | Ungraded |
Post-secondary education vs University education Mean number of decayed teeth (mean DT) · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2004-2006, Australia Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 0.3 [0.2, 0.4] | 1 study · 5073 participants | Ungraded |
Secondary education vs University education Prevalence of untreated decay (% DT > 0) · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2007-2009, Canada Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 15.2 [8.8, 21.6] | 1 study · 3278 participants | Ungraded |
Secondary education vs University education Mean number of decayed teeth (mean DT) · Adults aged 25 years and older in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States · 2009, New Zealand Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. (2018) | AD 0.4 [0.1, 0.6] | 1 study · 2041 participants | Ungraded |
Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) vs Formocresol (FC) Radiological failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 and 12 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | RR 1.00 [0.16, 6.20] | 1 study · 30 participants | Ungraded |
Artesunate vs Artemether Death · Patients with severe malaria · Network meta-regression covariate: average age (years) Graphs of study contributions and covariate distributions for network meta-regression. (2018) | no estimate extracted | NR | Ungraded |
1:5 diluted formocresol (FC) vs 1:25 diluted formocresol (FC) Clinical failure · Children with extensive decay involving the dental pulp in primary teeth · 6 months Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth (2018) · Cochrane | No event in any participant (Goyal 2014); not estimable | 1 study · 30 participants | Ungraded |
Fluoride in varnish vs Fluoride in gel Caries increment in permanent teeth (DMFS change from baseline) · Children or adolescents · At least 1 year or school year, Network meta-regression covariate: randomization year Graphs of study contributions and covariate distributions for network meta-regression. (2018) | no estimate extracted | NR | Ungraded |