Prevalence of Halitosis in Children and Associated Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

Background: Halitosis is a common and well-studied condition throughout the world. There are several publications on the etiology and prevalence of halitosis in the adult population. However, in children, studies are inconclusive. This study aims to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to establish the prevalence and factors involved in halitosis in the pediatric population. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in the databases: Scopus, Cocharne Library, Medline, and Embase, complemented by a manual search. This review was carried out according to PRISMA standards and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020183948). Results: Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria for conducting the qualitative synthesis. Twelve studies were used for quantitative synthesis and meta-analysis. It was estimated that 36.6% of the children who participated in the studies had halitosis. The presence of oral breathing, coating of the tongue, gingival inflammation and inadequate oral hygiene were the main risk factors for the development of halitosis, with an odds ratio of 8.036 (95% CI: 1-44-9), 3.24 (95% CI 1.38-7.62), 1.577 (95% CI 1.14-2.19) and 3.09 (95% CI 2.36-4.04) respectively. Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of halitosis in children and the many associated risk factors, a preventive approach is necessary to avoid its the negative social impact.