Table 4.
Summary of findings table on body of the estimated evidence profile (GRADE, 2015) and appraisal of the strength of the recommendation regarding the effectiveness of dentifrice on plaque regrowth, in 4‐day nonbrushing plaque regrowth models
| Determinants of quality | Plaque scores |
|---|---|
| Study design (Appendix S1) | RCTs crossover designs |
| # studies n = 8 | 25 |
| # comparison n = 25 (Figure 1) | |
| Risk of bias (Appendix S2) | Low |
| Consistency (Table 3) | Rather consistent |
| Directness (Dentifrice slurry) | Indirect |
| Precision (Table 3) | Rather precise |
| Publication bias (Appendices S4b/S5b/S6b) | Possible |
| Magnitude of the effect | Small |
| Strength of the recommendation based on the body of evidence | Moderate |
| Direction of recommendation | Weak in favour of the use of dentifrice |