The case report in 21st century child dental literature

To review recent dental child case reports to determine: 1 the main focus of the paper; 2 perceived contribution to the dental literature and, 3 involvement of the child.

Systematic review.

Case reports published between 2000 and 2005 were identified using Medline via Ovid and Embase databases. Papers were reviewed to determine: their perceived value; whether they related to a single case or case series; the main dental condition; how the child was referred to, and inclusion of any child-centred input within the report.

663 case reports, from 82 journal titles, were subject to review. The majority presented a single patient (82%) and discussed a type of intervention or treatment (58%). The most common themes related to oral pathology/medicine (28%), and orthodontics (26%). Most children were referred to as 'patients' (74%) with little use of personalised terms (4%). Few reports included any child-centred input or contribution from a proxy (10% and 2% respectively). Inter- and intra-examiner repeatability for categorisation was excellent.

The majority of child-related reports described a treatment or intervention which is surprising given the low level of case reports in the hierarchy of evidence. The child's perspective in the presenting complaint or outcome needs greater consideration.