Summary of findings 4.
Criteria‐based screening with specific referral compared to criteria‐based screening with non‐specific referral for increasing dental attendance
| Criteria‐based screening with specific referral compared to criteria‐based screening with non‐specific referral for increasing dental attendance | |||||||
| Population: school children Setting: secondary school Intervention: criteria‐based screening with specific referral Comparison: criteria‐based screening with non‐specific referral | |||||||
| Outcomes | Relative effect (95% CI) | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Number of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comment | ||
| With criteria‐based screening with non‐specific referral | With criteria‐based screening with specific referral | Difference | |||||
| Dental attendance at general dentist Follow‐up: mean 8 months |
RR 1.39 (1.09 to 1.77) | 49.0% | 68.1% (53.4 to 86.7) | 19.1% more (4.4 more to 37.7 more) | 201 (1 RCT) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ LOW 1 | There is 39% relative increase in the attendance to general dentist in the specific referral group compared to non‐specific group, with 95% CI ranging from 9% to 77% increase in attendance. |
| Dental attendance at orthodontist Follow‐up: mean 8 months |
RR 1.90 (1.18 to 3.06) | 19.4% | 36.8% (22.9 to 59.3) | 17.4% more (3.5 more to 39.9 more) | 201 (1 RCT) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ LOW 1 | There is 90% relative increase in the attendance to orthodontist in the specific referral group compared to the non‐specific group with 95% CI ranging from 18% to 206% increase in attendance. |
| *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: confidence interval; RR: risk ratio; OR: odds ratio | |||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect | |||||||
1Burden 1994 is a single study of secondary school children (11 to 12 years) at unclear risk of selection bias. Downgraded by two levels