A scoping review on the association of early childhood caries and maternal gender inequality

Ivy Guofang Sun; Duangporn Duangthip; Charis Hiu-Kei Kwok; Chun Hung Chu; Yasmi O Crystal; Robert J Schroth; Carlos Alberto Feldens; Jorma I Virtanen; Ola Barakat Al-Batayneh; Balgis Gaffar; Tshepiso Mfolo; Maha El Tantawi; Simin Z Mohebbi; Hamideh Daryanavard; Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan; Early Childhood Caries Advocacy Group (ECCAG)

doi:10.1186/s12903-023-03216-3

A scoping review on the association of early childhood caries and maternal gender inequality

BMC Oral Health. 2023 Jul 26;23(1):525. doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-03216-3.

Authors

Ivy Guofang Sun¹, Duangporn Duangthip², Charis Hiu-Kei Kwok³, Chun Hung Chu¹, Yasmi O Crystal⁴, Robert J Schroth⁵, Carlos Alberto Feldens⁶, Jorma I Virtanen⁷, Ola Barakat Al-Batayneh⁸, Balgis Gaffar⁹, Tshepiso Mfolo¹⁰, Maha El Tantawi¹¹, Simin Z Mohebbi¹², Hamideh Daryanavard¹³, Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan¹⁴; Early Childhood Caries Advocacy Group (ECCAG)

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
² Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. dduang@hku.hk.
³ Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁴ College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, USA.
⁵ Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada.
⁶ Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Lutheran University of Brazil, Canoas, Brazil.
⁷ Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
⁸ Preventive Dentistry Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
⁹ Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Department of Community Dentistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
¹¹ Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
¹² Department of Community Oral Health, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
¹³ Dental Service Department, Dubai Academic Health Corporation, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
¹⁴ Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Abstract

Aim: The objective of this scoping review is to present current evidence regarding the association between early childhood caries (ECC) and maternal-related gender inequality.

Methods: Two independent reviewers performed a comprehensive literature search using three databases: EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science. Literature published in English from 2012 to 2022 was included in the search and was restricted to only primary research by using the following key terms: "dental caries", "tooth decay", "gender", "sex", "preschool", "toddler," and "infant". The included studies were limited to those reporting an association between ECC and maternal aspects related to gender inequality. Titles and abstracts were screened, and irrelevant publications were excluded. The full text of the remaining papers was retrieved and used to perform the review. The critical appraisal of selected studies was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools.

Results: Among 1,103 studies from the three databases, 425 articles were identified based on publication years between 2012 and 2022. After full-text screening, five articles were included in the qualitative analysis for this review. No published study was found regarding a direct association between ECC and maternal gender inequality at the level of individuals. Five included studies reported on the association between ECC and potential maternal-gender-related inequality factors, including the mother's education level (n = 4), employment status (n = 1), and age (n = 1). Regarding the quality of the included studies, out of five, two studies met all JBI criteria, while three partially met the criteria.

Conclusions: Based on the findings of this scoping review, evidence demonstrating an association between gender inequality and ECC is currently limited.

Keywords: Dental caries; Early childhood caries; Gender equality; Preschool children; Sex; Sustainable Development Goal.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child, Preschool
Databases, Factual
Dental Caries Susceptibility*
Dental Caries* / epidemiology
Dental Caries* / etiology
Dental Caries* / prevention & control
Family
Gender Equity
Humans