Early childhood caries (ECC) · Preschool children (<6 years)
Breastfeeding for <4 vs ≥4 months was not significantly associated with early childhood caries (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.80-1.13; ungraded).
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Preschool children (<6 years)
In cohort studies, breastfeeding for <6 vs ≥6 months was not significantly associated with early childhood caries (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.88-1.06; ungraded).
2 findings from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Dental caries (early childhood caries)
1 finding from 1 review
AOR 3.7
1 study
GRADE not reported
Intervention not reported
Dental caries (early childhood caries)
1 finding from 1 review
AOR 6.7
1 study
GRADE not reported
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Healthy children under 6 years in South Africa
No significant difference in caries odds was found between mixed breast-and-bottle-fed and bottle-fed-only children (meta-analysis reported no difference; pooled estimate in an unavailable supplementary figure; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Healthy children under 6 years in South Africa
Parental tertiary education (vs high-school education) was associated with about 1.8 times higher odds of early childhood caries in South Africa (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.22-2.57; 2 studies; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Healthy children under 6 years in South Africa
No significant difference in caries odds was found between bottle-fed-only and breast-fed-only children (meta-analysis reported no difference; pooled estimate in an unavailable supplementary figure; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Healthy children under 6 years in South Africa
No significant difference in caries odds was found between children of low- versus high-SES parents (meta-analysis reported no difference; pooled estimate in an unavailable supplementary figure; not GRADE-rated).
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) - incidence/risk · Preschool children aged <=71 months (caries outcome assessed at 3-6 years)
Children exposed to secondary smoking from infancy have a higher incidence of early childhood caries by age 3 (RR 1.45; low certainty).
1 finding from 1 review
Caries prevalence (early childhood caries) · Preschool children aged <=71 months (caries outcome assessed at 3-6 years)
Preschool children exposed to secondary smoking have higher odds of caries prevalence (OR 1.77), but the cross-sectional evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty).
2 findings from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free
The intervention led to lower serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free
The intervention led to lower serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free
The intervention led to lower serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Intervention not reported
Serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free
The intervention led to lower serum vitamin D (25(OH)D): ECC vs caries-free; GRADE not reported.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Children aged ≤6 years (early childhood)
One Nigerian cross-sectional study reported a significant adjusted association between nutritional (stunting) status and ECC (APR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03-0.69); ungraded.
4 findings from 1 review
APR 0.14 [0.03, 0.69]
1 study · 370 participants
GRADE not reported
Correlation (r) -0.091
1 study · 82 participants
GRADE not reported
The bi-directional relationship between growth stunting and early childhood caries: a rapid review. 2023 All outcomes2-year follow-up · Ecuador (rural) · Sokal-Gutierrez et al. 2016 (Ecuador; pre vs post intervention)
Pre/post ECC prevalence, dmft, and deep-caries proportion (2-year follow-up) Age 1: prevalence 53.8% to 30.3%, dmft 2.1 to 0.9; Age 2: prevalence 82% to 60%, dmft 5.3 to 3.0, deep caries 19% to 12% (pre vs post)
1 study · 1575 participants
GRADE not reported
Show 1 more finding
Caries prevalence (early childhood caries) · Toddlers and preschool children, 2 to 6 years of age (primary dentition)
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.
1 finding from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Healthy children under 6 years of age (6 months to 6 years); preschool children
After excluding an extreme outlier (Alhabdan 2018), the association between low brushing frequency and ECC remained statistically significant (pooled OR approximately 2.0, p=0.003; I2=87.5%); the exact estimate and its CI were not reported; ungraded.
2 findings from 1 review
Early childhood caries (ECC) · Healthy children under 6 years of age (6 months to 6 years); preschool children
In the primary pooled analysis, late tooth brushing initiation was associated with a non-significant 40% higher odds of early childhood caries (OR 1.40, 95% CI 0.91 to 2.16), with very high heterogeneity (I2=90.5%); ungraded.
2 findings from 1 review
Severe early childhood caries · Children aged 5-6 years in Ajman schools
High snack consumption was associated with higher odds of severe early childhood caries.
1 finding from 1 review
Severe early childhood caries · Children aged 5-6 years in Ajman schools
Low family income was associated with higher odds of severe early childhood caries.
1 finding from 1 review