Cochrane Review Group

Oral Health

430 systematic reviews in Oral Health ask 10,375 questions. 13% have no studies to answer them, 11.8% rest on very low certainty evidence and 3.5% reach moderate or high certainty.

Reviews

430

Questions

10,375

current versions

No studies

13%

Moderate or high

3.5%

No studies 1,344 · 13%Ungraded 6,832 · 65.9%Very low 1,228 · 11.8%Low 613 · 5.9%Moderate 290 · 2.8%High 68 · 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.

Search questions in Oral Health

Topics

Dental caries264 reviews

5,762 questionsNo studies 5.6% · High 0.7%

Oral and maxillofacial surgery43 reviews

866 questionsNo studies 21.7% · High 0.5%

Orthodontics43 reviews

830 questionsNo studies 22.4% · High 0.4%

Oral medicine and oral cancer34 reviews

1,325 questionsNo studies 12.4% · High 0.1%

Periodontology32 reviews

793 questionsNo studies 18.7% · High 1.5%

Endodontics and dental trauma25 reviews

664 questionsNo studies 16.7% · High 0.2%

Implants and prosthodontics23 reviews

581 questionsNo studies 15% · High 0%

Dental public health and special care13 reviews

288 questionsNo studies 25.3% · High 0%

Pain control and patient management11 reviews

342 questionsNo studies 46.2% · High 1.2%

Temporomandibular disorders and sleep11 reviews

271 questionsNo studies 25.8% · High 0%

Other oral health10 reviews

264 questionsNo studies 17% · High 3.4%

Esthetic dentistry6 reviews

141 questionsNo studies 11.3% · High 0%

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 430

Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth

Montedori, A, Abraha, I, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2016

Oral Health

Topics

Thinnest evidence

Reviews 430

Lasers for caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth

Non‐pharmacological interventions for alleviating pain during orthodontic treatment

Oral health educational interventions for nursing home staff and residents

Infraorbital nerve block for postoperative pain following cleft lip repair in children

Social-Biological Interactions in Oral Disease: A 'Cells to Society' View.

Caries-Preventive Effect of High-Viscosity Glass Ionomer and Resin-Based Fissure Sealants on Permanent Teeth: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.

Caries remineralisation and arresting effect in children by professionally applied fluoride treatment - a systematic review.

Understanding dentists' management of deep carious lesions in permanent teeth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Does the Decline in Caries Prevalence of Latin American and Caribbean Children Continue in the New Century? Evidence from Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Fluoride gels for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents

Parasympathomimetic drugs for the treatment of salivary gland dysfunction due to radiotherapy

Fluoridated milk for preventing dental caries

Preformed crowns for decayed primary molar teeth

Magnification devices for endodontic therapy

Sedation versus general anaesthesia for provision of dental treatment to patients younger than 18 years

Interventions for treating traumatised ankylosed permanent front teeth

Interventions for the management of external root resorption

Chlorhexidine treatment for the prevention of dental caries in children and adolescents

Interventions for the treatment of keratocystic odontogenic tumours

Interventions for the cessation of non‐nutritive sucking habits in children

Single crowns versus conventional fillings for the restoration of root‐filled teeth

Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy

Micro‐invasive interventions for managing proximal dental decay in primary and permanent teeth

Surgical adjunctive procedures for accelerating orthodontic treatment

Xylitol‐containing products for preventing dental caries in children and adults