Table 4 Description of various ways of characterizing the studies. The Level of evidence by US preventive services task forces hierarchy of research design is used

1. Agrawal N & Pushpanjali K [40]

I

257

Yes

Yes

2

No

Yes

DMFT/S and

Incipient lesions (IL)

Effective for IL only

2. Meyer-Lueckel H et al. [56]

II-2

583

No

Yes

1

No

Yes

Modified ≥defs

Effective (children: low caries levels)

3. Oliveira BH et al. [57]

I

200

Yes

Yes

2

No

Yes

Pitts et al.: ICDAS (d₂mfs

d₃mfs)

Not effective

4. Pitchika V et al. [58]

II-1

215^a

No

Yes

1

No

No

WHO: d_1–2 s

d_3-4mfs

Effective for d_1–2 s only

5. Schuller AA & Kalsbeek H 2003 [59]

II-2

745

No

Not reported

3

Yes

Yes

D _1–3 s FS

Not effective

6. Riley JC et al. [60]

II-2

2525

No

Yes

2

No

Not reported

DMFT, DT, DFS

Effective

7. Levin KA et al. [61]

II-2

1333

Yes

Yes

3

No

Yes

D₃MFT

Effective

8. Toumba KJ & Curzon ME. [41]

I

174

Yes

Yes

1

No

Yes

Palmer et al.: (dmft/s, DMFT/S)

Effective

9. Wennhall I et al. [62]

II-1

733

No

Yes

2

Yes

Not reported

WHO: DFS increment (enamel caries included)

Not effective

10. Minah G et al. [63]

II-2

219

No

yes

2

No

Not reported

dmfs, precavitated lesions, MS

Effective

11. Bravo et al. [42]

I

314

Yes

Not reported

1

No

Yes

WHO: DMFS

Effective

12. Songpaisan Y et al. [64]

II-2

1110

No

Not reported

1

No

Not reported

DFS increment

Effective in some groups

13. Wennhall I et al. [65]

II-1

852

No

Yes

2

Yes

Not reported

defs/deft

Effective

14. Wagner Y et al. [66]

II-2

471

No

yes

2

No

Not reported

WHO: d₃mfs/ d₃mft/ care index

Effective

15. Dülgergil CT et al. et al. [67]

II-2

27, 147 lesions

No

Yes

2

No

Not reported

Modified Nyvad et al.: Mean dft/dfs/DMFT/DMFS

Effective

16. Meurman P et al. [68]

II-1

794

No

Yes

2

No

Not reported

dmft

Effective (children of white collar families, not blue-collars)

17. Armfield JM & Spencer AL [43]

I

789

Yes

No

Large number

No

Not reported

WHO: dmfs/DMFS

Effective

18. Blair Y et al. [69]

II-2

1553

No

Yes

Not reported

No

Not reported

BASCD: dmft

Effective

19. Blair Y et al. [70]

II-2

3506

Yes

Training

Not reported

No

Not reported

d₃mft

Effective

20. Stokes E et al. [44]

I

473

Yes

Yes

1

No

Yes

Pitts: D₁FS/D₃FS

Effective for D₃FS outcome

21. Lindgard M [71]

II-2

313

No

No

5

No

No

deft, enamel caries included

Effective

22. Baca P et al. [72]

II-2

181

Yes

yes

2

No

No

WHO: dftm/dfsm and DMFT

Effective

23. Muller-Bolla M et al. [73]

II-2

253 (421 pair of molars)

Yes

Yes

Not reported

No

No

ICDAS: increment. (code 3–6)

Effective

24. Tickle M et al. [74]

II-3

677

No

Yes

Not reported

Not reported

No

OR measurement: association between sealants and caries

Not effective

25. Baldini V et al. [75]

II-3

277

No

Yes

1

No

No

WHO: DMT increment

Effective

26. Curnow MM et al. [38]

I

461

Yes

Yes

1

No

Yes

ICDAS

Effective

27. Jackson HM et al. [39]

I

362

Yes

Yes

2

No

Yes

BASCD criteria. d₃mfs

Caries increment

Effective

28. Macpherson LMD & Conway DI. [52]

II-3

99,071

(7% and 25% (4472–12,716) National

No

Not reported

Not reported

No

Not reported

d₃mft

Effective

29. Freeman R et al. [76]

II-1

238

No

Yes

1

No

Yes

BASCD criteria

Moderate effective (only for mean number of sound teeth)

30. Feldens et al. [36]

I

340

Yes

Yes

1

No

Yes

NIH (Drury). Occurence of ECC, S-ECC

Effective

31. Chaffee BW et al. [77]

I

458

Yes

Yes

2

No

Not reported

WHO: involving also non-cavitated lesions

Not effective (only a subgroup)

32. Ismail AI et al. [78]

I

599 caregiver/child

Yes

Yes

3

No

Not reported

ICDAS

Not effective

33. Kressin NR et al. 2009 [79]

II-2

1087

No

Not reported

Not reported

No

Yes

EC as cavitated lesions

Effective

34. Kowash MB et al. [80]

II-2

234 mother/child pairs

Yes

Yes

1

No

Not reported

(Palmer et al. involving also non-cavitated lesions

Effective

35. Mohebbi SZ et al. [37]

I

242 child/mothers

Yes

Yes

2

No

Yes

WHO: d₃mft

Effective

36. van Palenstein et al. [81]

I

309 + 122

Randomly selected schools

Yes

1

No

Yes

Mean DMFT (WHO criteria

No effect

37. Plonka KA et al. [82]

I

542

Yes

Yes

2

No

Yes

Percentage of children with ECC

No effect