Adherence to the CONSORT statement of randomized clinical trials on dentin hypersensitivity treatment using...

Following the publication of the CONSORT statement, numerous dental journals have recommended its use for the reporting of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). While numerous RCTs have been published assessing the efficacy of desensitizing mouthwashes for treating dentin hypersensitivity (DH), none of these studies have been evaluated for their quality using CONSORT guidelines. This study assessed RCTs investigating mouthwashes for DH treatment for adherence to CONSORT guidelines and their risk of bias. The databases of Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, BBO, LILACS, Scopus, and Web of Science were systematically searched from August to October 2024 for RCTs assessing the effectiveness of desensitizing mouthwashes. Adherence to CONSORT recommendations was evaluated using a specific tool, while the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 2 was employed to assess the individual quality of the included papers. Out of the 2,883 papers retrieved, 36 were included in the qualitative analysis. The mean overall CONSORT score was 23.3 ± 1.4, out of a maximum of 32 points. Intervention, outcomes, hypothesis testing, and effect size were the most comprehensively described elements. Meanwhile, settings and protocol registration were only described by 12.5% of the articles. Significant differences in CONSORT scores were identified based on journal and publication dates. Low risk of bias was identified in 14 studies, two papers were judged to have an unclear risk, and no articles showed a high risk of bias. Full adherence to CONSORT recommendations was not attained in the analyzed papers, but most of the papers had a low risk of bias.