Children with dental caries vs Children without dental caries: Serum ferritin (ng/mL)
Serum ferritin tends to be lower in children with dental caries, but the pooled difference is not statistically significant (MD -3.96, 95% CI -8.48 to 0.57; very low certainty).
What each review found
Include earlier review versions| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Children with dental caries vs Children without dental caries (caries-free) Serum ferritin level · Children and adolescents (0-18 years; most included reviews focused on <6 years) · Pediatric populations (community and clinical); various countries (e.g., India, Iran, China, Peru) Serum ferritin tends to be lower in children with dental caries, but the pooled difference is not statistically significant (MD -3.96, 95% CI -8.48 to 0.57; very low certainty). Association Between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Dental Caries in Children: A Systematic Umbrella Meta-Analysis. (2025) All outcomes | MD -3.96 [-8.48, 0.57] | 4 studies | Very low |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Association Between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Dental Caries in Children: A Systematic Umbrella Meta-Analysis. 2025 All outcomes | Before January 2025 | 13 | Not applicable |
Studies behind the findings
None of these reviews ties its included studies to this outcome in the data here. Cochrane reviews and reviews with headline outcomes only do not list their studies yet.
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.