Prevalence of Early Childhood Caries in South Africa: Protocol for a Systematic Review

Abstract

Background Young children are at the highest risk of developing dental caries as they have a lack of autonomy over their diet and oral hygiene practices. Dental caries develops over time due to demineralization of tooth substance (enamel), which results from acid production during sugar metabolism by bacteria. Early onset of dental caries often results in asymptomatic presentation, but if left untreated, it can result in severe pain, infection, and dentoalveolar abscesses. Early childhood caries (ECC) is defined as dental caries in children aged 6 years and younger and is a significant public health problem in South Africa. According to the Global Burden of Disease study, untreated dental caries of primary teeth affects 532 million children. Untreated dental caries has many detrimental effects which can affect the physical development and reduce the quality of life of affected children. Furthermore, long-term untreated dental caries can result in school absenteeism, low BMI, and poor educational outcomes. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of ECC in South Africa in children under the age of 6 years. Methods All cross-sectional studies documenting the prevalence and severity of dental disease (decayed, missing, and filled teeth scores) will be included. Various databases will be searched for eligible studies. Only studies conducted on South African children aged 6 years and under will be included. There will be no restriction on the time or language of publication. The quality of all eligible studies will be analyzed by a risk of bias tool developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The results will be presented narratively, and if possible, a meta-analysis will be conducted. Results The protocol is registered with PROSPERO. The literature search was initially conducted in November 2018 and was repeated in November 2020. Conclusions The results of this study will be used to advise stakeholders of the prevalence and severity of dental disease in children under 6 years of age in South Africa. Trial Registration PROSPERO CRD42018112161; International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/25795

Effectiveness of Silver Diamine Fluoride for Early Childhood Caries Among Children Aged 24 to 72 Months: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Dental caries is a complex, bacteria-driven, chronic, site-specific, and significant process brought on by a physiological imbalance between minerals in teeth and the fluid in plaque [ 1 ]. It is a progressive condition that results from the demineralization of dental enamel caused by the acids generated during the metabolism of sugars by cariogenic bacteria [ 2 ] and is one of the most prevalent chronic childhood illnesses; in developing nations, many decayed teeth go untreated. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are an average of 2.4 decaying, missing, and filled teeth per person worldwide.…”

Prevalence of early childhood caries in South Africa: a systematic review

“…The protocol of this systematic review was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42018112161, in November 2018. The protocol paper was published in JMIR Research Protocols in 2021 [ 19 ]. Ethics approval was not required as the present investigation was not a primary study involving participants.…”