| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Andrade 2010 | Compares ART with chemomechanical caries removal (Papacarie) |
| Barata 2007 | Compares ART with chemomechanical caries removal (Carisolv) |
| Barata 2008 | Compares ART with chemomechanical caries removal (Carisolv) |
| Caro 2012 | ART technique was modified with Papacarie |
| De Amorim 2014 | Not an RCT |
| De Menezes 2011 | Not an RCT. Only the schools that received experimental group were randomised. CT group was not randomised. |
| Frencken 1994 | Not an RCT. One village received ART, a second village was treated with amalgam and a third village was the control. |
| Frencken 2006 | Not an RCT. The electricity failed on a number of days and the principal investigator decided that all children, who had been bussed to the WHO Centre for treatment, would be treated using the ART approach. |
| Hilgert 2014 | Not RCT |
| Hu 2005 | Not RCT |
| Hui‐min 2005 | Compares ART with different GICs |
| Ibiyemi 2011 | Does not compare ART with conventional treatment |
| ISRCTN76299321 | Not an RCT |
| Kalf‐Scholte 2003 | No randomisation between CT and ART, only between materials used for ART |
| Mandari 2001 | Modified ART, using hand instruments and a caries‐removal solution (Caridex) |
| McComb 2002 | Does not compare ART with CT. Compares different materials |
| Menezes 2006 | Does not compare ART with CT. Compares two types of GICs |
| Mickenautsch 2007 | Not an RCT |
| Mizuno 2011 | Compares ART with chemomechanical caries removal (Papacarie) |
| NCT02234609 | Modified ART. Not an RCT |
| NCT02274142 | Does not compare ART with conventional treatment. Compares different GICs |
| NTR4400 | Not an RCT |
| Phantumvanit 1996 | Not an RCT. One village received ART and those in the other village received CT |
| Phonghanyudh 2012 | Modified ART; this involved accessing caries using high speed to break enamel |
| Rahimtoola 2002 | Not an RCT. Two operators did not strictly follow the randomisation procedure for the selection of the treatment technique. |
| Taifour 2002 | Not an RCT. The electricity failed on a number of days and the principal investigator decided that all children, who had been bussed to the WHO Centre for treatment, would be treated using the ART approach. |
| Yip 2002b | Not an RCT |
ART: atraumatic restorative treatment; CT: conventional treatment; GIC: glass ionomer cement; RCT: randomised controlled trial