Cesarean section delivery vs Vaginal delivery: Caries prevalence (early childhood caries)
- Population
- Toddlers and preschool children, 2 to 6 years of age (primary dentition)
- Intervention
- Cesarean section delivery
- Comparison
- Vaginal delivery
- Outcome
- Caries prevalence (early childhood caries)
Caesarean section delivery may be associated with a modestly higher prevalence of early childhood caries than vaginal delivery (pooled OR 1.48), but the evidence is inconsistent and of very low certainty.
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Caesarean section (C-section) delivery vs Vaginal delivery Prevalence of early childhood caries (primary dentition) · Toddlers and preschool children, 2 to 6 years of age (primary dentition) · Caries assessed at 8 months to 6 years of age, Community/population-based; studies from Europe, Asia, South America and Israel Caesarean section delivery may be associated with a modestly higher prevalence of early childhood caries than vaginal delivery (pooled OR 1.48), but the evidence is inconsistent and of very low certainty. Is the mode of childbirth delivery linked to the prevalence of early childhood caries? A systematic review… (2021) All outcomes | OR 1.48 [1.07, 2.05] | 11 studies · 58682 participants | Very low |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the mode of childbirth delivery linked to the prevalence of early childhood caries? A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021 All outcomes | 2020-09-15 | 12 | 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.
- Perinatal risk factors of the early childhood caries · 2020 · included by 1 of these review
- Influence of mode of delivery, family and nursing determinants on early childhood caries development: a prospective cohort study · 2018 · included by 1 of these review
- Factors associated with early childhood caries among 3 to 6 year old children in India: A case control study · 2018 · included by 1 of these review
- Caesarean Section Does Not Increase the Risk of Caries in Swedish Children. · 2017 · included by 1 of these review
- Antenatal Health Care and Postnatal Dental Check-Ups Prevent Early Childhood Caries · 2016 · included by 1 of these review
- Mode of delivery, mutans streptococci colonization, and early childhood caries in three- to five-year-old Thai children. · 2013 · included by 1 of these review
- Caries prevalence in Danish pre-school children delivered vaginally and by caesarean section · 2011 · included by 1 of these review
- Risk indicators for early childhood caries in 2‐year‐old children in southern China · 2010 · included by 1 of these review
- Garcia-Castro 2017 · included by 1 of these review
- Peretz 1997 · included by 1 of these review
- Shanthosh Raj 2018 · 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.