Topic in Oral Health
Dental caries
Prevention, detection, risk, and management of dental caries (decay), including fluorides, sealants, and restorations.
264 systematic reviews in Dental caries ask 5,762 questions. 5.6% have no studies to answer them, 7.9% rest on very low certainty evidence and 4.2% reach moderate or high certainty.
Reviews
264
Questions
5,762
current versions
No studies
5.6%
Moderate or high
4.2%
No 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.
Thinnest evidence
All no studies and very low questions| Question | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Partial pulpotomy vs Full (complete) pulpotomy Patient- and clinical-reported outcomes (tooth survival, clinical/radiographic success, pain) · Asymptomatic permanent teeth with deep caries (no symptoms) The effectiveness of partial pulpotomy compared with full pulpotomy in managing deep caries in vital… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
Calcium vs Control Immediate (24 h) resin-dentin bond strength (MPa) · permanent human teeth with artificial caries-affected dentin · 24 h, Etch-and-Rinse; chemical ACAD Biomimetic Remineralization Strategies for Dentin Bond Stability-Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD -0.508 [-8.207, 7.191] | 3 studies | Very low |
Children with dental caries vs Children without dental caries (caries-free) Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) · Children and adolescents (0-18 years; most included reviews focused on <6 years) Association Between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Dental Caries in Children: A Systematic Umbrella Meta-Analysis. (2025) | MD -1.96 [-4.02, 0.10] | 3 studies | Very low |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries (presence/absence) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (cross-sectional), Cross-sectional studies Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | OR 2.04 [1.21, 3.42] | 6 studies · 2206 participants | Very low |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries severity (dmft index, primary dentition) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (cross-sectional), Cross-sectional studies; dmft index Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | MD 0.92 [-0.09, 1.93] | 5 studies · 1502 participants | Very low |
Cavity liner (calcium hydroxide, glass-ionomer cement, resin-modified calcium silicate/TheraCal LC, hydraulic calcium silicate/MTA or Biodentine, flowable composite, or other liner material) vs No cavity liner or a different liner material Treatment failure · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible… · >=12 months Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent… (2025) | No significant difference; 96.5% of treated teeth remained vital | 12 studies · 1184 participants | Very low |
Cavity liner (calcium hydroxide, glass-ionomer cement, resin-modified calcium silicate/TheraCal LC, hydraulic calcium silicate/MTA or Biodentine, flowable composite, or other liner material) vs No cavity liner or a different liner material Postoperative hypersensitivity · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible… · 7 days to 3 months Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent… (2025) | No significant difference; minimal pain reported | 9 studies · 1000 participants | Very low |
Secondary (passive/secondhand) smoking exposure during childhood vs No secondary smoking exposure Caries prevalence (early childhood caries) · Preschool children aged <=71 months (caries outcome assessed at 3-6 years) · Caries prevalence at 3-6 years, Overall Secondary Smoking and Early Childhood Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2025) | OR 1.77 [1.57, 2.01] | 11 studies · 14,794 participants | Very low |
Cavity liner (calcium hydroxide, glass-ionomer cement, resin-modified calcium silicate/TheraCal LC, hydraulic calcium silicate/MTA or Biodentine, flowable composite, or other liner material) vs No cavity liner or a different liner material Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) · Patients with deep caries lesions in mature or immature permanent (posterior) teeth, with no symptoms or reversible… · >=6 months Efficacy of different cavity liners compared to no cavity lining in managing deep caries in vital permanent… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) vs reference standard detection of proximal caries · primary teeth with proximal caries · primary dentition Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative light-induced fluorescence in detecting caries of various types and… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART/HAART) vs HIV-negative individuals Dental caries severity (DMFT index, permanent dentition) · Children and adolescents under 18 years with HIV · Not specified (cross-sectional), Cross-sectional studies; DMFT index Association between antiretroviral therapy and dental caries in children and adolescents with HIV: a… (2025) | MD 0.60 [-0.53, 1.72] | 4 studies · 1390 participants | Very low |
Intervention NR Tooth survival · - The effectiveness of partial pulpotomy compared with full pulpotomy in managing deep caries in vital… (2025) | no estimate extracted | 0 studies | No studies |
Reviews 264
Clinical effectiveness of restorative materials for the restoration of carious lesions in pulp treated primary teeth: a systematic review.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention5 included studies
16 questions
Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on Oral Health among Children Living with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention14 included studies
33 questions
Oral Health Status of Children and Adolescents Living with HIV Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology21 included studies
25 questions
Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) Efficacy in Arresting Cavitated Caries Lesions in Primary Molars: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention16 included studies
7 questions
Pit and Fissure Sealant versus Fluoride Varnish for the Prevention of Dental Caries in School Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention7 included studies
2 questions
Prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition amongst 12-year-olds in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textprevalence50 included studies
51 questions
Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology10 included studies
11 questions
Secondary caries and marginal adaptation of ion-releasing versus resin composite restorations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention37 included studies
13 questions
Outcome of pulpotomy in permanent teeth with irreversible pulpitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention11 included studies
14 questions
Dental caries at enamel and dentine level among European adolescents - a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textprevalence30 included studies
56 questions
Association of Early Childhood Caries with Bitter Taste Receptors: A Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies and Transcriptome-Wide Association Study.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology
16 questions
Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent posterior teeth
Cochranefull textintervention
10 questions
Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: chemotherapy
Cochranefull textintervention
18 questions
Rubber dam isolation for restorative treatment in dental patients
Cochranefull textintervention
15 questions
Clinical assessment for the detection of oral cavity cancer and potentially malignant disorders in apparently healthy adults
Cochranefull textDTA
20 questions
Interventions for treating cavitated or dentine carious lesions
Cochranefull textintervention
24 questions
Transillumination and optical coherence tomography for the detection and diagnosis of enamel caries
Cochranefull textDTA
9 questions
Imaging modalities to inform the detection and diagnosis of early caries
Cochranefull textDTA
55 questions
Visual or visual‐tactile examination to detect and inform the diagnosis of enamel caries
Cochranefull textDTA
30 questions
Electrical conductance for the detection of dental caries
Cochranefull textDTA
15 questions
Oral health effects of botulinum toxin treatment for drooling: a systematic review.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention8 included studies
8 questions
Infiltration and sealing for managing non-cavitated proximal lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention22 included studies
16 questions
Dental caries and associated factors in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textprevalence22 included studies
9 questions
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of sugar-free chewing gum on Streptococcus mutans.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention14 included studies
3 questions
Association Between the TaqI (rs731236 T>C) Gene Polymorphism and Dental Caries Risk: A Meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology11 included studies
30 questions