A Systematic Review of Population- Based Dental Caries Studies among Children in Gulf Cooperation Council States: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the prevalence and severity of dental caries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area in order to help the development of systematic approaches for preventive oral care programs in the Gulf States and to provide sound information for oral health promotion and public health care.

Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search to identify both published and unpublished articles concerning relevant studies of dental caries published during the period from 1992 to 2016 in children aged 2 to 16 years, with no language and time limit was performed. The search strategies employed electronic databases and incorporated both dental subject headings and free-text terms.

Results: The overall mean dmft in the primary teeth was 5.136 and prevalence was 80.9% in the GCC area. The permanent teeth DMFT and the prevalence of caries were 2.577and 64.7%, respectively.

Conclusion: The overall prevalence and severity of dental caries were high, especially in primary dentitions in the GCC area. This study did not provide a comprehensive picture of caries prevalence and severity in the GCC area because in many of these countries only a few studies had been performed. Therefore, additional studies are needed to better evaluate the prevalence and severity of caries in children and adolescence in GCC countries.