TABLE 15.
Body of evidence summary on breakfast cereals and dental caries
Evidence statement and components | Grade | Rating | Notes |
Consumption of breakfast cereals by children is not associated with increased risk of dental caries | B | — | Body of evidence can be trusted to guide practice in most situations |
Evidence base | Satisfactory | 2 Level II studies (RCTs1) (1 positive quality, 1 neutral) | |
1 Level IV study (cross-sectional) (positive quality) | |||
Consistency | Excellent | All studies showed no significant association (if anything, a trend to lower caries incidence with cereal consumption) | |
Clinical impact | Poor | No effect | |
Generalizability | Excellent | Populations studied in the body of evidence cover a wide range of ages and countries of residence | |
Applicability | Excellent | Directly applicable in populations in whom breakfast cereals are consumed regularly |
RCT, randomized controlled trial.