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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

828 questions · 1,477 findings · 103 reviews · Dental caries

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No studies found 5 · 0.3%GRADE not reported 1,402 · 94.9%Very low 38 · 2.6%Low 20 · 1.4%Moderate 11 · 0.7%High 1 · 0.1%

Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction

Dental caries detection accuracy · Dental images of human beings

The review reported 70% accuracy for dental caries detection in Mayank et al. (Ungraded).

3 findings from 1 review

Presence of dental plaque vs Absence of dental plaque

Dental caries · Individuals in Ethiopia assessed for dental caries

The presence of dental plaque was not significantly associated with dental caries (OR 5.14, 95% CI 0.67 to 39.39); certainty not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries vs Caries-free status

CA VI activity · Individuals assessed for dental caries (cases with caries/high caries vs. caries-free or low/very-low-caries controls)

CA VI activity was higher in participants with caries (SMD 0.87, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.36; 7 studies, 411 participants); GRADE was not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries vs Caries-free status

CA VI concentration · Individuals assessed for dental caries (cases with caries/high caries vs. caries-free or low/very-low-caries controls)

CA VI concentration was lower in participants with caries (SMD -0.66, 95% CI -1.00 to -0.32; 2 studies, 141 participants); GRADE was not reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries vs Caries-free status

Oral microbial community composition and diversity (other caries-associated taxa; alpha- and beta-diversity) · Systemically healthy individuals (children and adults, aged 40 months to 50 years) assessed for dental caries

No oral microbial taxon other than S. mutans was consistently associated with caries; alpha-diversity mostly did not differ between caries-active and caries-free groups and beta-diversity findings were mixed (ungraded, narrative).

1 finding from 1 review
  • Streptococcus mutans and Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2025 All outcomes
    Cross-sectional · Clinical oral-microbiome studies; saliva and/or supragingival plaque samples; 7 countries; DNA/RNA-based sequencing or microarray
    Narrative synthesis (no pooled estimate): no bacterial genus or species other than S. mutans was consistently (reported in more than 2 studies) associated with caries-active status (Table 3; 15 of 19 studies for…
    Studies not reported
    GRADE not reported

Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction

Caries detection accuracy on intraoral images · Dental images of human beings

The review reported 93.3% accuracy for caries detection on intraoral images in Kühnisch et al. (Ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction

Caries detection accuracy in unrestored molars and premolars · Dental images of human beings

The review reported 92.37% accuracy for automated caries detection in Duong et al. (Ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction

detection of proximal caries · Dental images of human beings

The review reported 85.6% accuracy for proximal caries in Casalegno et al. (Ungraded).

2 findings from 1 review

Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms for caries prediction

Occlusal caries detection accuracy · Dental images of human beings

The review reported 66.7% accuracy for the worst class in Moutselos et al. (Ungraded).

4 findings from 1 review
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Dental caries assessment (WHO/clinical diagnostic criteria; caries = DMFT>0) vs None (descriptive prevalence meta-analysis)

Dental caries prevalence · General Pakistani population (all ages and both sexes; predominantly children and adolescents)

In permanent dentition, the pooled prevalence of dental caries was 57.2% (95% CI 26.3 to 85.3); ungraded.

10 findings from 1 review
Show 7 more findings

Machine-learning algorithms for dental caries detection vs Different machine-learning algorithms compared with one another / against the reference caries diagnosis

Diagnostic accuracy for root caries detection · Dental radiographic/intraoral images of human teeth (X-ray and photographic)

One study reported machine-learning accuracy for root caries detection (97.1%, support vector machine); not pooled and not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

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

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Children with dental caries

Oral-health promotion programs were associated with markedly lower odds of DMFT/S in children (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.39; ungraded, very high heterogeneity I2=98.5%).

1 finding from 1 review

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

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Children aged 6 years and older (healthy except for dental caries)

In children aged 6 years and older, OHPPs showed no significant effect on DMFT/S (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.08 to 1.01; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

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

DMFT/DMFS index (dental caries experience) · Children younger than 6 years (healthy except for dental caries)

In children younger than 6 years, OHPPs were associated with lower odds of DMFT/S (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.39; ungraded).

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries vs Caries-free status

Alpha diversity (Observed, Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson) · Participants in oral 16S rRNA caries microbiome studies

Across the combined sample set, alpha-diversity metrics were significantly higher in caries than in health, but no pooled effect estimate was reported.

1 finding from 1 review

Dental caries vs Caries-free status

KEGG pathway associations · Participants in oral 16S rRNA caries microbiome studies

Phosphonate and phosphinate metabolism and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism had the lowest reported adjusted P values (0.04); no pooled effect estimate was reported.

1 finding from 1 review