Summary of findings for the main comparison. Oral health education for nursing home staff and residents (with information and practical components) compared to usual care.
| Oral health education for nursing home staff and residents (with information and practical components) compared to usual care | ||||||
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Patient or population: nursing home residents Settings: nursing homes Intervention: oral health education (with information and practical components) Comparison: usual care | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No of Participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Usual care | Oral health education (with information and practical components) | |||||
| Oral health‐related quality of life | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | Outcome not reported |
| Oral health | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | Outcome not reported |
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Dental plaque Plaque Index, Oral Hygiene Index, Geriatric Simplified Debris Index (all scales scoring 0 to 3) Follow‐up: 3 to 60 months |
Mean dental plaque scores in control groups ranged from 0.29 to 2.18 (0 to 3 scale) | Mean difference 0.04 lower (95% CI 0.26 lower to 0.17 higher) |
See comment | 437 (6 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ low1,2 | Information from 2 further studies was not available for meta‐analysis. A lower score indicates less plaque. |
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Denture plaque Denture Plaque Index (scoring 0 to 3) and method of Augsburger (scoring 0 to 4) Follow‐up: 3 to 60 months |
See comment | Standardised mean difference
0.60 lower (95% CI 1.25 lower to 0.05 higher) |
See comment | 816 (5 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ low1,2 | Different outcome scales used Information from another study was not available for meta‐analysis. |
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Gingivitis Gingival Bleeding Index and method of Suomi Follow‐up: 3 to 6 months |
245 (3 RCTs) |
⊕⊕⊝⊝ low1,3 | No meta‐analysis (data not comparable). 3 studies at unclear risk of bias showed inconsistent results. |
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Denture‐induced stomatitis Method of Budtz‐Jørgensen Follow‐up: 6 to 18 months |
417 (2 RCTs) |
⊕⊕⊝⊝ low1,3 | No meta‐analysis (data not comparable). 2 studies at unclear, in Frenkel 2001, or high risk of bias, in Mojon 1998, showed no apparent differences at short‐term, in Frenkel 2001, or long‐term follow‐up (Mojon 1998). |
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Caries/root caries Follow‐up: 6 to 18 months |
178 (2 RCTs) |
⊕⊕⊝⊝ low1,3 | 2 studies at unclear, in Frenkel 2001, or high risk of bias, in Mojon 1998, showed no apparent differences at short‐term, in Frenkel 2001, or long‐term follow‐up (Mojon 1998). | |||
| CI: confidence interval; RCT: randomised controlled trial | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. | ||||||
1Downgraded one level due to serious risk of bias. 2Downgraded one level due to inconsistency (heterogeneity): I2= 66% and 92%. 3Downgraded one level due to inconsistency (clinical heterogeneity).