Cavitated Carious Lesions More Common in Maxillary Incisors and Molars in Both Arches in Preschool Children

Finds study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice.

Study Overview

This systematic review aimed to describe and evaluate the caries patterns among the 21st century preschool children globally. Six electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and Scopus) were searched using predetermined terms. Dual independent screening of all retrieved abstracts was performed to identify studies conducted after year 2000 and the caries pattern among preschool children was investigated. Data regarding the prevalence of caries by tooth type and surface were extracted. Meta-analyses, subgroup analyses and meta-regression were carried out with the statistics software Stata using the random-effects model.

Results

A total of 2642 records were screened, and 43 observational studies were finally included. Cavitated caries lesions were commonly found in the maxillary incisors and molars in both arches among preschool children. The highest caries prevalence was found in the maxillary central incisors (29.1%, 95%CI: 25.5%-32.7%) and the mandibular second molars (28.5%, 95%CI: 24.7%-32.3%), while the mandibular lateral incisors had the lowest prevalence (1.7%, 95%CI: 1.5%-2.0%).

• Occlusal surfaces of the mandibular molars were the most frequently affected by caries.
• Caries hardly affected the lingual surfaces of lower anterior teeth.
• Caries pattern on the left and right sides was symmetrical.

The overall caries prevalence was significantly higher in the maxillary teeth. Caries prevalence was higher in the older children, whereas the caries pattern was not significantly different among children from countries with different human and economic development levels. Cavitated carious lesions were more commonly observed in the maxillary incisors and molars in both arches. The prevalence of caries varies significantly with child's age and primary tooth type. However, preschool children exhibit a similar pattern of caries, regardless of the time, socioeconomic status or geographical location.

Reference

Shuyang He, Madeline Jun Yu Yon, Fei Liu, Edward Chin Man Lo, Cynthia Kar Yung Yiu, Chun Hung Chu, Phoebe Pui Ying Lam. PREVALENCE OF CARIES PATTERNS IN THE 21ST CENTURY PRESCHOOL CHILDREN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice. Volume 24, Issue 3, 2024, 101992, ISSN 1532-3382, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebdp.2024.101992.