Question · asked by 1 review
Sugar consumption (higher sugar intake) vs No sugar consumption (lower/no intake): Early childhood caries (ECC)
- Population
- Preschool children (<6 years)
- Intervention
- Sugar consumption (higher sugar intake)
- Comparison
- No sugar consumption (lower/no intake)
- Outcome
- Early childhood caries (ECC)
Higher sugar consumption is associated with early childhood caries in children under 6 years: pooled OR 1.59 (95% CI 1.50 to 1.68) from 9 cohort studies with no heterogeneity (I2=0%); the body of evidence was not GRADE-rated (ungraded).
What each review found
Include earlier review versions| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Sugar consumption (higher sugar intake) vs No sugar consumption (lower/no intake) Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children under 6 years of age · Outcome (ECC) assessed from 9 months to 5 years of age, Population-based birth and childhood cohort studies; multiple countries (Europe, Brazil, Asia, Australia, USA); mostly high-income, six in developing countries (Brazil, Thailand), none in low-income countries, Overall (all 9 meta-analyzed studies pooled) Higher sugar consumption is associated with early childhood caries in children under 6 years: pooled OR 1.59 (95% CI 1.50 to 1.68) from 9 cohort studies with no heterogeneity (I2=0%); the body of evidence was not GRADE-rated (ungraded). Sugar consumption and early childhood caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. (2025) All outcomes | OR 1.59 [1.50, 1.68] | 9 studies | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar consumption and early childhood caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. 2025 All outcomes | December 2020 to May 2025 | 17 | Not applicable |
Studies behind the findings
The primary studies the full-text reviews tie to this outcome. Reviews with headline outcomes only do not list them here.
- Early Sugar Introduction Associated with Early Childhood Caries Occurrence. · 2023 · included by 1 of these review
- Trajectories of child free sugars intake and dental caries - a population-based birth cohort study. · 2023 · included by 1 of these review
- Trajectories of Sugar Consumption and Dental Caries in Early Childhood. · 2022 · included by 1 of these review
- Impact of Dietary Trajectories on Obesity and Dental Caries in Preschool Children: Findings from the Healthy Smiles Healthy Kids Study. · 2021 · included by 1 of these review
- Early Introduction of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Caries Trajectories from Age 12 to 48 Months. · 2020 · included by 1 of these review
- Feasibility and development of a cariogenic diet scale for epidemiological research. · 2019 · included by 1 of these review
- Infant dietary patterns and early childhood caries in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort. · 2019 · included by 1 of these review
- The associations between dietary intakes from 36 to 60 months of age and primary dentition non-cavitated caries and cavitated caries. · 2015 · included by 1 of these review
- Feeding practices in infancy associated with caries incidence in early childhood. · 2015 · included by 1 of these review
- Severe early childhood caries and social determinants in three-year-old children from Northern Thailand: a birth cohort study. · 2015 · included by 1 of these review
- The influence of lifestyle on the incidence of dental caries among 3-year-old Japanese children. · 2014 · included by 1 of these review
- Early feeding practices and severe early childhood caries in four-year-old children from southern Brazil: a birth cohort study. · 2010 · included by 1 of these review
- Risks for early childhood caries analyzed by negative binomial models. · 2009 · included by 1 of these review
- Stepwise prediction of dental caries in children up to 3.5 years of age. · 1996 · included by 1 of these review
- Dietary habits related to caries development and immigrant status in infants and toddlers living in Sweden. · 1995 · included by 1 of these review
- Longitudinal study of dental health behaviors and other caries predictors in early childhood. · 1988 · included by 1 of these review
- Infant feeding and dental caries--a longitudinal study of Swedish children. · 1985 · included by 1 of these review
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.