Summary of findings for the main comparison. Summary of findings ‐ Any form of one‐to‐one oral hygiene advice (OHA) versus no OHA.
| Any form of 1‐to‐1 OHA versus no OHA in a dental setting for oral health | |||
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Patient or population: children or adults Settings: dental surgery/office setting Intervention: any form of 1‐to‐1 OHA Comparison: no OHA | |||
| Outcomes | Number of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments |
| Periodontal health: gingivitis |
477 participants (2 studies); follow‐up: 235 participants | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low1 | 1 small study in adults had contradictory results at 3 months and 6 months The other study in adults showed evidence of a benefit for OHA at all time points of 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months |
| Periodontal health: plaque levels |
477 participants (2 studies); follow‐up: 235 participants | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ low2 | Both studies at all time points consistently showed a benefit in plaque reduction for OHA |
| Dental caries | 377 participants (2 studies); follow‐ up: 244 participants | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low3 | 1 study in adults reported only "small and statistically insignificant changes" but no usable data reported The other study on infants provided very low‐quality evidence of a benefit for OHA at 8 months and 12 months, but not at 4 months |
| 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 | |||
11 study at high risk and 1 at unclear risk of bias. 1 study small with contradictory results. Inconsistency between studies, unable to pool data. The number of appointments and intensity of the interventions would not be applicable in routine dental practice. Downgraded for risk of bias, inconsistency and indirectness. 21 study at high risk and 1 at unclear risk of bias. The number of appointments and intensity of the interventions would not be applicable in routine dental practice. Downgraded for risk of bias and indirectness. 32 unclear risk of bias studies. Inconsistency between studies, unable to pool data. The number of appointments and intensity of the interventions would not be applicable in routine dental practice. Downgraded for risk of bias and inconsistency and indirectness.