Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature to determine whether early childhood caries (ECC) is significantly associated with caries development in permanent teeth among school children and adolescents, and to identify the association of other risk factors over 24 months. A systematic literature search was performed in four electronic databases and via a manual search from inception to 28 July 2022. Independent study selection and screening, data extraction, evaluation of risk of bias using ROBINS-I tool and certainty of evidence with GRADE were performed. Ten cohort studies were included, all of which identified that ECC significantly increased the risk of caries in permanent teeth. Meta-analysis suggested children with ECC were three times more likely to develop caries in their permanent teeth (OR, 3.22; 95% CI 2.80, 3.71; p < 0.001), especially when the lesions were in primary molars and progressed to dentine. However, the certainty of evidence was substantially compromised by serious risk of bias and inconsistency between studies. There were inconsistent findings between socioeconomic or behavioural factors on caries development, which could not be pooled for meta-analyses. ECC significantly increases the likelihood of caries development in permanent teeth. Evidence on the association of socioeconomic and oral health behavioural factors is weak.

Prevalence and risk indicators of early childhood caries among toddlers in Caloocan City, Philippines: a cross-sectional study

“…A recent systematic review primarily identified low level of maternal education as a risk factor for future caries development [39]. A greater caries experience was found in child participants whose "less educated" mothers introduced them to sugar before 12 months old compared to those where sugar was introduced after 24 months of age.…”

Relevance of Sociocultural Inequalities and Parents’ Origins in Relation to the Oral Health of Preschoolers in Lanzarote, Spain

“…Recent studies reflect how all social classes have a similar potential to develop caries, and although socioeconomic class has been considered a determinant factor, it is families with a poorer socioeconomic position that have a higher susceptibility to more severe stages of disease [ 17 ]. However, some authors have found weak evidence of the association of socioeconomic behavior factors and oral health [ 49 ].…”

Socio-Economic Determinants of Children`s Dental Health. Literature Review

“…Пропаганда знань про догляд за порожниною рота та формування відповідних звичок і безпечного харчування є необхідною із раннього віку для формування відповідних звичок у дорослому віці. Для подолання негативного впливу низького рівня стоматологічного здоров'я у дитячого населення наявна актуальна потреба в дослідженні та розумінні детермінант, які призводять до нерівності такого здоров'я [6][7][8][9][10].…”