Summary of findings 3. Laser for gagging in patients undergoing dental treatment.
| Laser for gagging in patients undergoing dental treatment | ||||||
| Patient or population: patients undergoing dental treatment Setting: university hospital Intervention: laser Comparison: control | ||||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | Number of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Risk with control | Risk with laser | |||||
| Completion of dental treatment | None of the trials reported this outcome | |||||
| Reduction in gagging (assessor‐reported) |
The mean reduction in gagging was 0 | MD 1.80 higher (1.53 higher to 2.07 higher) |
‐ | 25 (1 RCT)a | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ VERY LOWc,d,f |
Low‐level laser at P6 point for 14 seconds |
| Presence or absence of gagging | Study population | OR 86.33 (29.41 to 253.45) | 40 (1 RCT)b | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ VERY LOWc,d,e | Low‐level laser at P6 point for 1 minute showed difference in absence of gagging | |
| 125 per 1000 | 925 per 1000 (808 to 973) | |||||
| Adverse effects | None of the trials reported adverse effects | |||||
| *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI) CI: confidence interval; MD: mean difference; OR: odds ratio; P6: point located 3‐finger breadths below the wrist on the inner forearm in between the 2 tendons; RCT: randomised controlled trial | ||||||
| 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 | ||||||
aElbay 2016. bGoel 2017. cDowngraded 1 level for unclear risk of bias. dDowngraded 1 level for indirectness: single trial done only in children. eDowngraded 1 level, imprecision apparent from width of confidence interval (due to small sample size (n = 40)). fDowngraded 1 level, imprecision apparent from width of confidence interval (due to small sample size (n = 25)).