Table 4 Results of the GRADE Assessment

Summary of findings:

Patient or population: [health problem and/or population]

Setting: Observational studies

Intervention: Chronic Periodontitis

Comparison: H. pylori

Outcomes

Relative effect

(95% CI)

№ of participants

(studies)

Certainty of the evidence

(GRADE)

Comments

Periodontal diseases and H. pylori infection association

OR 2.47

(2.01 to 3.03)

1481 cases 885 controls

775/2019 exposed, 759/4216 unexposed

(23 observational studies)

⨁⨁◯◯

Low^a,b,c

The evidence suggests that chronic periodontitis and H. pylori infection have a strong association.

*The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).

CI: confidence interval; OR: odds ratio

GRADE Working Group grades of evidence

High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect.

Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different.

Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect.

Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect.

Explanations