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
Pulp treatment for extensive decay in primary teeth
Cochranefull textintervention
220 questions
Slow‐release fluoride devices for the control of dental decay
Cochranefull textintervention
9 questions
Graphs of study contributions and covariate distributions for network meta-regression.
Non-Cochranefull textother
30 questions
Meta-analysis of the clinical behavior of posterior direct resin restorations: Low polymerization shrinkage resin in comparison to methacrylate composite resin.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention23 included studies
15 questions
Dental caries and preterm birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology9 included studies
5 questions
Consequences of early extraction of compromised first permanent molar: a systematic review.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention19 included studies
8 questions
Efficacy of fluorides and CPP-ACP vs fluorides monotherapy on early caries lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention11 included studies
5 questions
Visual and radiographic caries detection: a tailored meta-analysis for two different settings, Egypt and Germany.
Non-Cochranefull textDTA2 included studies
101 questions
Association between passive tobacco exposure and caries in children and adolescents. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology29 included studies
9 questions
Socioeconomic Factors and Caries in People between 19 and 60 Years of Age: An Update of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology61 included studies
38 questions
Socioeconomic status, oral health and dental disease in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology6 included studies
66 questions
Scientific evidence for the management of dentin caries lesions in pediatric dentistry: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention15 included studies
5 questions
Pulpotomy versus pulpectomy in the treatment of vital pulp exposure in primary incisors. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention4 included studies
11 questions
Pit and fissure sealants for preventing dental decay in permanent teeth
Cochranefull textintervention
11 questions
Atraumatic restorative treatment versus conventional restorative treatment for managing dental caries
Cochranefull textintervention
30 questions
Metal‐free materials for fixed prosthodontic restorations
Cochranefull textintervention
48 questions
Fluoride supplementation (with tablets, drops, lozenges or chewing gum) in pregnant women for preventing dental caries in the primary teeth of their children
Cochranefull textintervention
13 questions
Oral health and orofacial pain in older people with dementia: a systematic review with focus on dental hard tissues.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology39 included studies
11 questions
Fluoride mouthrinses for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents
Cochranefull textintervention
9 questions
Adhesively bonded versus non‐bonded amalgam restorations for dental caries
Cochranefull textintervention
6 questions
Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth
Cochranefull textintervention
19 questions
Social-Biological Interactions in Oral Disease: A 'Cells to Society' View.
Non-Cochranefull textaetiology10 included studies
12 questions
Caries-Preventive Effect of High-Viscosity Glass Ionomer and Resin-Based Fissure Sealants on Permanent Teeth: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention7 included studies
5 questions
Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a systematic review.
Non-Cochranefull textintervention17 included studies
15 questions
Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Non-Cochranefull textother8 included studies
15 questions