Table 1.
Description of criteria used to assess the methodology/reporting quality of included studies.
| Red (low quality) | Amber (moderate quality/ no mention) | Green (high quality) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Was the study industry funded (related to the study materials being investigated)? | Yes, industry funded | Not mentioned | Statement that not industry funded |
| Was there a conflict of interest? | Conflict of interest declared (related to the topic or study materials being investigated) | Not mentioned | Clearly states not industry funded or no conflict of interest statement |
| Relevance to routine clinical dentistry | Low – mannikin or simulation study not involving human participants | Medium – human participant study but involving procedures e.g. closed chambers which are very unlike usual dentistry | High – undertaken in dental operatories with human participants |
| Procedure description | Inadequately described | Adequately described to be able to understand what was done but could not be reproduced and could be reproduced | Described in detail and could be reproduced |
| Equipment used in Procedure | Not mentioned | Mentioned but not adequately described (type of item e.g. air rotor)(but no further detail | Adequately described in detail and could be reproduced |
| Sample size | Not mentioned | Mentioned but not described in enough detail to reproduce | Adequately described in detail and could be reproduced |
| Controls (for microbial studies) | No control measures described | Control measures described for example leaving a plate out for an hour before the procedure | Not applicable |
| Sensitivity of measurement for contamination measure (separate for microbiological, blood and visual for spatter)(Further details found on Table 2) | Low sensitivity | Medium sensitivity | High sensitivity |
| Outcome | Outcome reporting do not meet standard i.e. not expressed or statistical tests were not appropriate, not reported | Outcome reporting partially meets standard | Outcomes clearly stated with appropriate descriptive statistics to express contamination for areas as point estimates and include measures of distribution (e.g. standard deviation, standard error and range) and if statistical tests are used to analyse associations, these are appropriate, and include confidence intervals and the probability levels (p value) |