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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Bacteraemia of oral origin in children-A Systematic review and network meta-analysis
Karolin Charlotte Höfer1, Isabelle Graf2, Anne Adams3
1Center of Dental Medicine, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.
Objectives:
To systematically review the prevalence of bacteraemia, triggered by dental intervention and home oral hygiene practices, in children. The network meta-analysis (NMA) quantitatively compared the risk of bacteraemia triggered by dental extractions and home and professional cleaning procedures.
Materials And Methods:
Clinical trials with the outcome "bacteraemia in children" were searched. The NMA was performed using the frequentist weighted least-squares approach comparing the odds ratios (OR) of different interventions.
Results:
Among 11 of 13 studies, dental treatment was performed under general anaesthesia. In 2,381 patients, bacteraemia occurred in 38.7%-56% patients following single-tooth extractions, in 22%-46% after manual toothbrushing (MTB), and in 26%-78% after power toothbrushing (PTB). When MTB was set as the reference (OR 1), rubber cup polishing showed a slightly higher risk (OR 1.26) of bacteraemia. PTB presented a higher risk (OR 1.79-2.27) than with single-tooth extractions (OR 1.55) but lower than that with multiple extractions (OR 2.55).
Conclusion:
Daily use of MTB and routine professional cleaning were associated with the lowest risk of developing bacteraemia in children with gingivitis, almost as much as with a single-tooth extractions. Improved plaque control with PTB increased the risk of bacteraemia. There is limited evidence on gingivitis-free and systemically-diseased children.
