What do systematic reviews say?

COE with vital rinsing (toluidine blue/tolonium chloride) vs Conventional oral examination (COE) alone

COE with vital rinsing (toluidine blue/tolonium chloride) showed no clear difference in detection rate of oral pre-malignant and malignant lesions after… compared with conventional oral examination (COE) alone (moderate certainty).

• Clinical assessment for the detection of oral cavity cancer and potentially malignant disorders in apparently healthy… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Rate ratio 1.05 [0.74, 1.41]
  1 study · 7975 participants
  Moderate

Rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva aspiration) vs Cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  no estimate extracted
  0 studies
  No studies found

Concomitant (concurrent) chemoradiotherapy vs Radiotherapy alone

Concomitant (concurrent) chemoradiotherapy led to lower locoregional control, concurrent chemoradiotherapy (platinum +… compared with radiotherapy alone (non-resectable tumours); GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  RR 0.75 [0.61, 0.93]
  3 studies
  GRADE not reported

Concomitant (concurrent) chemoradiotherapy vs Radiotherapy alone

Concomitant (concurrent) chemoradiotherapy led to lower disease-free survival, concurrent chemoradiotherapy vs radiotherapy… compared with radiotherapy alone (non-resectable tumours); GRADE not reported.

• Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  HR 0.74 [0.67, 0.80]
  13 studies
  GRADE not reported

Concomitant (concurrent) chemoradiotherapy vs Radiotherapy alone

Concomitant (concurrent) chemoradiotherapy probably leads to lower overall survival, concurrent chemoradiotherapy vs radiotherapy alone… compared with radiotherapy alone (non-resectable tumours) (moderate certainty).

• Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  HR 0.74 [0.67, 0.83]
  24 studies · 2852 participants
  Moderate

COE with light-based detection (e.g. ViziLite Plus, Microlux/DL, VELscope, Identafi 3000) vs Conventional oral examination (COE) alone

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Clinical assessment for the detection of oral cavity cancer and potentially malignant disorders in apparently healthy… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  No eligible studies; planned comparative analysis (COE vs COE with light-based detection) not populated in this version.
  0 studies
  No studies found

COE with vital rinsing (toluidine blue/tolonium chloride) vs Conventional oral examination (COE) alone

• Clinical assessment for the detection of oral cavity cancer and potentially malignant disorders in apparently healthy… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Specificity 0.91 [0.90, 0.91]
  1 study · 4080 participants
  Moderate
• Clinical assessment for the detection of oral cavity cancer and potentially malignant disorders in apparently healthy… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Specificity 0.92 [0.91, 0.93]
  1 study · 3895 participants
  Moderate

COE with vital rinsing (toluidine blue/tolonium chloride) vs Conventional oral examination (COE) alone

• Clinical assessment for the detection of oral cavity cancer and potentially malignant disorders in apparently healthy… 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Sensitivity 0.50 [0.12, 0.88]
  1 study · 3895 participants
  Moderate

Rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva aspiration) vs Cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration)

Rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva… may leads to higher survival rate of restorations (6 months) compared with cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration) (low certainty).

• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  6 months · Non-carious cervical lesions (composite restoration)
  OR 2.29 [1.05, 4.99]
  2 studies · 192 participants
  Low
• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  18 months · Non-carious cervical lesions (composite restoration)
  OR 1.00 [0.45, 2.25]
  1 study · 30 participants
  Very low
• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 months · Primary molars (proximal atraumatic restorative treatment)
  HR 0.80 [0.66, 0.97]
  1 study · 559 participants
  Very low

Rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva aspiration) vs Cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration)

It is very uncertain whether rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva… changes costs: treatment/operation time compared with cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration) (very low certainty).

• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  NCCL composite (Loguercio); fissure sealing (Ammann, narrative)
  MD -0.40 [-2.26, 1.46]
  1 study · 30 participants
  Very low

Rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva aspiration) vs Cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration)

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  treatment phase
  Adverse events | Outcome not reported
  0 studies
  No studies found

Rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva aspiration) vs Cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration)

• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  6, 12, 18 months · Non-carious cervical lesions (composite restoration)
  Loguercio 2015: no significant differences (P>0.05) in marginal staining and marginal adaptation of NCCL restorations between rubber dam and cotton rolls/retraction cords at 6, 12 and 18 months.
  1 study · 30 participants
  GRADE not reported

Rubber dam isolation and moisture control (alone or with saliva aspiration) vs Cotton rolls (with or without saliva aspiration)

• Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients 2021 · Cochrane All outcomes

  Non-carious cervical lesions (composite restoration)
  Evidence did not support higher acceptance/preference for rubber dam than cotton rolls (P = 0.85 from binomial test on 28 participants; very low-certainty evidence) (Loguercio 2015).
  1 study · 28 participants
  Very low

Interdental brushing plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone

• Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal… 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Harms and adverse outcomes (SoF): Neither study reported any information about adverse events. Jared 2005 assessed adverse events (participants issued a symptom diary) but did not report the findings; Graziani 2017 did…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported
• Interdental brushing for the prevention and control of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2013 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Not estimable. Only 1 study reported adverse outcomes in terms of problems with the use of the assigned interdental cleaning aids. (See comment) In this comparison the single study (Jared 2005) asked participants to…
  1 study
  GRADE not reported

Flossing plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone

• Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal… 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Adverse effects were assessed and reported in seven studies. Three reported no adverse events on the oral hard or soft tissues. Four reported sporadic adverse events with mild severity, with no evidence of a difference…
  7 studies
  GRADE not reported

Oral irrigation plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone

• Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal… 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Three studies reported that there were no adverse events, one reported one incidence of aphthous ulcer in irrigator group, one reported oral lacerations but found no difference between the interventions, and one did…
  5 studies
  GRADE not reported

Rubber/elastomeric cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal… 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Harms and adverse outcomes: Not reported (neither study reported on adverse effects).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Wooden cleaning stick plus toothbrushing vs Toothbrushing alone

The review found no eligible studies for this question.

• Home use of interdental cleaning devices, in addition to toothbrushing, for preventing and controlling periodontal… 2019 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Harms and adverse outcomes: Not reported (neither study reported on adverse effects).
  0 studies
  No studies found

Flossing plus toothbrushing (self-performed; manual or automated floss) vs Toothbrushing alone

• Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults 2011 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Not estimable (5 studies). Adverse effects were assessed in five studies, but they used different outcome measures, so meta-analysis was not appropriate. The main harm identified was soft-tissue trauma to the gingival…
  5 studies
  GRADE not reported

Fluoride mouthrinse, gel or varnish combined with fluoride toothpaste (any combined regimen) vs Fluoride toothpaste alone

• Combinations of topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels, varnishes) versus single topical fluoride for… 2004 · Cochrane All outcomes
  Adverse-effect data scarcely reported: a stain score in one trial and 'any side effects' in one trial without complete or useable data (stated 'no side effects observed in both groups'). No useful information on tooth…
  Studies not reported
  GRADE not reported