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Evidence found and GRADE certainty

14 questions · 42 findings · 7 reviews · Dental caries

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No studies found 0 · 0%GRADE not reported 40 · 95.2%Very low 2 · 4.8%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%

Lower unemployment rate vs Higher unemployment rate (low <=5% / medium >5-10% / high >10%)

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

Mean DMFT tended to increase with unemployment rate (low 1.23, medium 2.08, high 2.38; ANOVA p<.05); descriptive country-level means only, not meta-analyzed or GRADE-rated.

3 findings from 1 review

Higher per-capita expenditure on dental health care vs Lower per-capita expenditure on dental health care (USD bands: $0-50 / $51-100 / >$100)

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

Countries with higher per-capita dental expenditure had lower mean DMFT (>$100: 0.96; $51-100: 2.14; $0-50: 3.06) (Figure 4); not GRADE-rated.

3 findings from 1 review

Western/Northern Europe (UN M49 region) vs Eastern/Southern Europe (UN M49 geographical categorization)

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

Mean DMFT is lowest in West Europe (0.88) and North Europe (1.34) and highest in East Europe (2.76) and South Europe (2.61) (Figure 3); not GRADE-rated.

4 findings from 1 review
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Higher national income (GNI per capita) vs Lower national income (GNI categories: middle <=$15,000 / high $15,001-25,000 / very high >$25,000)

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

Mean DMFT in 12-year-olds rises as national income falls: 0.90 (very high income), 2.38 (high income), 3.30 (middle income) (Figure 2); not GRADE-rated.

3 findings from 1 review

Very high Human Development Index (HDI >=0.800) vs High Human Development Index (HDI 0.700-0.799)

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

Mean DMFT was higher in high-HDI (3.41) than very-high-HDI (1.73) countries (ANOVA p<.01); descriptive country-level means only, not meta-analyzed or GRADE-rated.

2 findings from 1 review

All European countries pooled (overall) vs None (overall pooled prevalence)

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · 12-year-old children across European countries (national/regional epidemiological surveys, 2011-2022)

Across European countries the overall pooled mean DMFT in 12-year-olds was 2.10 (95% CI 1.63 to 2.57), with very high between-country heterogeneity (I2=100%); not GRADE-rated.

1 finding from 1 review

Not applicable (single-group prevalence) vs Not applicable (single-group prevalence)

Early childhood caries experience (mean dmft) · Children younger than 71 months (under 6 years)

Mean dmft was lowest (1.62 teeth) in low-inequality countries by Gini index.

16 findings from 1 review
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Down syndrome vs Individuals without Down syndrome (healthy controls: siblings, schoolchildren or others)

Mean DMFT (decayed, missing, filled permanent teeth) · Individuals of all ages

Individuals with Down syndrome had a lower mean DMFT in permanent teeth than controls (pooled SMD -0.18, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.02; 6 studies; I2=20%); certainty of evidence not graded.

1 finding from 1 review

Institutionalization (living in an orphanage/institution) vs Parented children living with their families

Caries in primary teeth: dmft (3 years) · Institutionalized orphan children (roughly 3 to 18 years)

Primary-teeth caries experience (dmf) was higher in institutionalized children than parented children but not significantly so (pooled MD 0.64; very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Institutionalization (living in an orphanage/institution) vs Parented children living with their families

Mean DMFT (decayed, missing, filled permanent teeth) · Institutionalized orphan children (roughly 3 to 18 years)

Permanent-teeth caries experience (DMF) was marginally higher in institutionalized children but essentially similar to parented children (pooled MD 0.09, not significant; very low certainty).

1 finding from 1 review

Slum / urban-disadvantaged setting vs Non-slum urban / general-urban / national population

Caries experience (mean DMFT) · Adult residents of slums and non-slum urban settings of LMICs

Mean DMFT ranges from 0.26 to 16.6 across LMIC urban/slum populations; ungraded.

1 finding from 1 review

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) vs No cleft lip and/or palate (non-CL/P)

Early childhood caries experience (mean dmft) · Children in the primary dentition with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and comparable children without CL/P

In the combined primary and mixed dentition, there was no evidence of a difference in caries experience between children with and without CL/P (SMD 0.09, 95% CI -0.59-0.76; 5 studies; ungraded).

4 findings from 1 review
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Caries severity measurement (mean dmft for primary dentition; mean DMFT for permanent dentition) vs None (descriptive prevalence review; subgroup analyses by urban/rural status, country and year)

Caries experience · Healthy children and adolescents (primary and permanent dentition) in the United Arab Emirates

Caries severity was substantial, with mean dmft 0.75-10.9 (primary dentition) and mean DMFT 1.48-3.19 (permanent dentition), and higher indices in Emirati than non-Emirati children (narrative synthesis; not GRADE-rated).

1 finding from 1 review