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

Irrigants for non‐surgical root canal treatment in mature permanent teeth

Fedorowicz, Z, Nasser, M, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2012

Oral Health

Topics

Thinnest evidence

Reviews 430

Irrigants for non‐surgical root canal treatment in mature permanent teeth

Survival of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) sealants and restorations: a meta-analysis.

Interventions for preventing oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving treatment

Feeding interventions for growth and development in infants with cleft lip, cleft palate or cleft lip and palate

Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders

Fluoride supplements (tablets, drops, lozenges or chewing gums) for preventing dental caries in children

Secondary bone grafting for alveolar cleft in children with cleft lip or cleft lip and palate

Psychosocial interventions for the management of chronic orofacial pain

Flossing for the management of periodontal diseases and dental caries in adults

Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies

Interventions for treating oral candidiasis for patients with cancer receiving treatment

Interventions for treating oral mucositis for patients with cancer receiving treatment

Interventions for replacing missing teeth: maintaining and recovering soft tissue health around dental implants

Domestic violence screening and intervention programmes for adults with dental or facial injury

Pharmacological interventions for pain in patients with temporomandibular disorders

Different powered toothbrushes for plaque control and gingival health

Interventions for replacing missing teeth: dental implants in fresh extraction sockets (immediate, immediate‐delayed and delayed implants)

Interventions for the treatment of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer: radiotherapy

Interventions for the treatment of fractures of the mandibular condyle

Orthodontics for treating temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders

Hypnosis for children undergoing dental treatment

Interventions for replacing missing teeth: horizontal and vertical bone augmentation techniques for dental implant treatment

Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain®) for periodontal tissue regeneration in intrabony defects

Dental fillings for the treatment of caries in the primary dentition

Arthrocentesis and lavage for treating temporomandibular joint disorders