Caries experience in children and adolescents with Down Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the prevalence of dental caries in non-syndromic children with children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS).

The strategy included a search for articles in electronic databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane Library, LILACS, and SciELO). The methods for assessment included the modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale, the methodological quality for cross-sectional studies, and a random-effects meta-analysis model. By obtaining the odds ratio, the tests of heterogeneity and sensitivity were performed. This study includes unpublished data from the cross-sectional study by Paiva et al. (2018), which was conducted in the city of Recife/PE.

Twelve cross- section studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Results indicated that children and adolescents with DS had lower caries experience when compared to the non-syndromic ones (95 % CI: 0.22-0.84). The results indicated that the seven studies were statistically significant (p < 0.00001). The risk of bias remained high given that the majority of the studies were cross-sectional reports.

The results of this study fill the lack of knowledge and indicated that there is scientific evidence to suggest that children and adolescents with Down Syndrome have fewer caries than the non-syndromic group.