title: A systematic map of systematic reviews in pediatric dentistry--what do we really know?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify, appraise and summarize existing knowledge and knowledge gaps in practice-relevant questions in pediatric dentistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic mapping of systematic reviews was undertaken for domains considered important in daily clinical practice. The literature search covered questions in the following domains: behavior management problems/dental anxiety; caries risk assessment and caries detection including radiographic technologies; prevention and non-operative treatment of caries in primary and young permanent teeth; operative treatment of caries in primary and young permanent teeth; prevention and treatment of periodontal disease; management of tooth developmental and mineralization disturbances; prevention and treatment of oral conditions in children with chronic diseases/developmental disturbances/obesity; diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental erosion and tooth wear; treatment of traumatic injuries in primary and young permanent teeth and cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Abstracts and full text reviews were assessed independently by two reviewers and any differences were solved by consensus. AMSTAR was used to assess the risk of bias of each included systematic review. Reviews judged as having a low or moderate risk of bias were used to formulate existing knowledge and knowledge gaps.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 81 systematic reviews meeting the inclusion criteria, 38 were judged to have a low or moderate risk of bias. Half of them concerned caries prevention. The quality of evidence was high for a caries-preventive effect of daily use of fluoride toothpaste and moderate for fissure sealing with resin-based materials. For the rest the quality of evidence for the effects of interventions was low or very low.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is an urgent need for primary clinical research of good quality in most clinically-relevant domains in pediatric dentistry.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingegerd A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mejàre
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klingberg
authors.affiliation: Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Frida K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Mowafi
authors.affiliation: Department of Odontology, Section for Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stecksén-Blicks
authors.affiliation: Department of Odontology, Section for Cariology, Endodontics, Pediatric Dentistry and Clinical Genetics, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Svante H A
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Twetman
authors.affiliation: Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sofia H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tranæus
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D016854:Dental Anxiety; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry; D011859:Radiography; D012196:Review Literature as Topic