Introduction: Root caries (RC) remains a global health problem leading to negative impacts on an elderly person's well-being causing oral health-related quality of life issues, as inadequate nutrition and detrimental oral functionality. The present systematic review with meta-analysis is designed to synthesize existing research findings on the prevalence and experience of root caries globally over the past 30 years. It aims to describe its distribution by country and explore its links with various socioeconomic indicators.
Methods: Selection criteria: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase and Scopus) were screened for observational epidemiological studies (cross-sectional and cohort studies) reporting the prevalence of RC and/or mean RC experience between 1990 and 2023. No language were applied. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were done in duplicate. . risk of bias was graded with customized quality assessment tools (Study Quality Assessment Tools NHLBI, NIH).
Data collection and analysis: studies reporting on (1) root caries experience (mean and SD) and (2) on root caries prevalence (%), were used synthesize the results. It was assessed as decayed, missing, and filled teeth (RDMFT) Results: A total of 91 publications were included in the descriptive analysis; the estimated overall pooled mean RC was 2.87 teeth and the global estimated random-effects pooled RC prevalence was 41%. Low gross national income (GNI) countries reported a low mean number of RC (1.35 GNI<$5000), while high GNI countries reported a higher mean number of RC (3.45 GNI $10000- $19999). Countries of higher inequalities (Gini index) reported lower means medium RC (1.98 teeth) than countries with no inequalities (4.90 teeth).
Conclusion: This study highlights the high caries burden among adult population globally by estimating overall trends and comparing against factors including area, GNI and Gini-index. The large magnitude of these inequities indicates that oral health equity can only be achieved taking into account socioeconomic factors on a global scale. The lack of uniform data collecting among studies as well as knowledge gap regarding the incidence and experience of RC in different countries.
S. Karger AG, Basel.