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Glenny AM, Esposito M et al. Eur J Oral Sci 2003; 111: 85–92

To achieve the goal of summarizing evidence of treatment effectiveness accurately, systematic reviews require rigorous methods to reduce bias and random error. This study identified 65 systematic reviews of interventions for oral, dental and craniofacial disorders, which had been published since 1990 and had reported their methods in sufficient detail.

Each review was assessed by a clinician and a methodologist. Twenty reviews focused on pain, 7 each on caries and oral medicine, 6 on periodontics and 5 each on oral surgery and TMJ disorders. The subject of 35 reviews was treatment; of 11, prevention; and of 7, treatment with adverse events.

Assessors found that 56 reviews addressed a clearly focused question, and 48 looked for studies appropriate to their question. Quality of reviewed papers was assessed in 39 reviews, but only 25 included it in the analysis. Only 33 reviews were thought to have interpreted their results appropriately. The authors stress the importance of following established guidelines for reviews, and discuss the many difficulties of interpreting results.