Non-Cochrane · aetiology · PM42254890
Scrolling Through Risk: The Overlooked Oral Health Cost of the Digital Lifestyle.
Kumari Deesha, K Mithun · International journal of dentistry · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1155/ijod/3203223
Findings
Population Children, adolescents and adults
10 findings
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Xerostomia Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries | OR 1.25 [0.98, 1.58] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, indirectness 5 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Adverse oral health outcomes (outcome not specified in Table 7) Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries · Children (<12 y) | OR 1.36 [1.11, 1.66] GRADE not reported 11 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Adverse oral health outcomes (outcome not specified in Table 7) Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries · Adults (>=20 y) | OR 1.28 [1.03, 1.57] GRADE not reported 11 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | DMFT score Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries | SMD 0.31 [0.10, 0.53] Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, indirectness 9 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Toothbrushing frequency <=1 time per day Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries | OR 1.54 [1.17, 2.01] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, indirectness 10 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Dental caries Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries | OR 1.42 [1.20, 1.69] Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, indirectness 18 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Adverse oral health outcomes (outcome not specified in Table 7) Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries · Adolescents (12-19 y) | OR 1.48 [1.21, 1.80] GRADE not reported 10 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Adverse oral health outcomes (outcome not specified in Table 7) Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries · Television exposure | OR 1.22 GRADE not reported 9 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Adverse oral health outcomes (outcome not specified in Table 7) Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries · High-quality studies only (sensitivity) | OR 1.33 [1.12, 1.58] GRADE not reported 10 studies |
| High screen time (>2 h/day) | Screen time <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Adverse oral health outcomes (outcome not specified in Table 7) Cross-sectional (mostly single time point) · General population, 14 countries · Smartphone exposure | OR 1.45 GRADE not reported 8 studies |
Included primary studies 32
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dokumacıgil et al. 2025 Dental caries, oral hygiene and salivary characteristics in children with chronic kidney disease: a case-control study. PMID:40105933 | 2025 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Aksaka et al. 2025 Influence of digital behavior and sleep quality on periodontal status in adolescents: a cross-sectional study. PMID:40859222 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alanzi et al. 2025 Impact of media use on oral health, parafunctional habits, and nutritional status in preschoolers: a cross-sectional study. PMID:40646500 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Alawady et al. 2023 Association between sleep duration and dental caries in a nationally representative U.S. population. PMID:37464351 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Amaral et al. 2023 Daily screen time, sleep pattern, and probable sleep bruxism in children: A cross-sectional study. PMID:36203372 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Burns et al. 2024 Associations of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors with oral health indictors in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis. PMID:40217380 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Buva et al. 2024 Is Trending Social Media Platforms a Newfangled Language of Oral Health Promotion? A Short Communication DOI:10.4103/jioh.jioh_125_24 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| de Barros et al. 2025 Unhealthy dietary habits and sedentary behavior drive untreated dental caries among adolescents: A population-based study. PMID:41034370 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| de Paula et al. 2024 Associations of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors with prevalent steatotic liver disease in middle-aged and older adults: the… PMID:40217540 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Engberg et al. 2021 Saliva microbiota differs between children with low and high sedentary screen times DOI:10.1016/j.humic.2021.100080 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Garg et al. 2023 The association of screen time with intake of potentially cariogenic food and oral health of school children aged 8-14 years-a… PMID:37732444 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Gestre and Star 2024 Assessing #dentist Content on TikTok: Engagement, Quality, and Implications for Oral Health Care DOI:10.1080/19424396.2024.2362825 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Gündoğmuş et al. 2023 The Relationship of Smartphone Addiction and Alexithymia. PMID:34517444 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hwang et al. 2022 Association between Healthy Lifestyle (Diet Quality, Physical Activity, Normal Body Weight) and Periodontal Diseases in Korean Adults. PMID:35409556 | 2022 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kurtović et al. 2023 The Relationship between Sleep, Chronotype, and Dental Caries-A Narrative Review. PMID:37218869 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Lalitha et al. 2024 Smartphone usage and its association with stress-related bruxism, temporomandibular joint disorder among dental tutees - an analytical… PMID:39660709 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Murugeshappa et al. 2025 Social media use and adolescent oral health: A scoping review. PMID:40297373 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Mustuloğlu et al. 2024 Problematic screen exposure and oral health in preschool children: a comparison study. PMID:39385208 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Pardi et al. 2024 May family routines impact oral health in American children? PMID:39697787 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Robin et al. 2025 Association Between Screen Time, Dietary Patterns, and Oral Health Among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study. PMID:40291204 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ryu 2021 Role of the medical museum in teaching medical students. PMID:2021328 | 1991 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ryu et al. 2024 Adolescents smartphone screen time and its association with caries symptoms experience from the Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey… PMID:39487234 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Semar and Bakshi 2022 Correlation of Screen Time With Eating Behavior Among School-Going Children Aged 8 to 10 Years in East Delhi, India DOI:10.1177/09731342221144877 | 2022 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shang et al. 2015 Screen time is associated with dietary intake in overweight Canadian children. PMID:26844082 | 2015 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Singh et al. 2024 Social Media Impact on Self-Perceived Oral Health Practices Among Patients Visiting Tertiary Care Hospital in Lucknow: A Cross-Sectional… PMID:38618476 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Sun et al. 2017 Lifestyle and overweight among Japanese adolescents: the Toyama Birth Cohort Study. PMID:19776497 | 2009 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Tambalis et al. 2020 Screen time and its effect on dietary habits and lifestyle among schoolchildren. PMID:33338361 | 2020 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Vriens et al. 2018 Children's screen time alters the expression of saliva extracellular miR-222 and miR-146a. PMID:29844486 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Yilmaz and Avci 2022 Exposure to screen time and dental neglect. PMID:36181437 | 2022 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zeng et al. 2014 The association between dental caries and television viewing among Chinese adolescents in Guangxi, China. PMID:25421309 | 2014 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zhang et al. 2021 Relationship of Problematic Smartphone Use, Sleep Quality, and Daytime Fatigue Among Quarantined Medical Students During the COVID-19… PMID:34858229 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zhou and Liu 2023 Saliva biomarkers in oral disease. PMID:37536520 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
| Review | Shared studies | Jaccard |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Health in Early and Advanced Stages (1-4) of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2026) | 1 | 0.02 |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Children, adolescents and adults reporting screen use | About 46,812 participants in 14 countries: children (11 studies), adolescents (10), adults (11) |
| Intervention | Screen time exposure (TV, smartphone, tablet, computer) | High screen exposure (>2 h/day; mean high exposure 3.8 h, range 2-6 h); TV, smartphone, social media |
| Comparison | <=2 h/day or lowest exposure group | Low screen time (<2 h/day) |
| Outcomes | Caries (dmft/DMFT), plaque/gingival indices, brushing frequency, xerostomia | Caries OR (n=18), DMFT SMD (n=9), brushing <=1 time/day OR (n=10), xerostomia OR (n=5) |
| Study designs | Cross-sectional, cohort or case-control studies; English language | 32 studies: 81% cross-sectional, 3 cohort, 1 narrative review |
| Timing | Not specified | Not specified |