Global prevalence of teething problems in infants and children-A systematic review and meta-analysis

Eruption of primary teeth is associated with local and systemic manifestations. Understanding the global prevalence is necessary to formulate the standard guidelines for management.

To evaluate the global prevalence of problems associated with teething in infants and children aged 0-36 months.

PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched on May 31, 2023, and it was updated on January 31, 2024. Gray literature and reference search were performed. Cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies done in hospital or community settings, reporting the prevalence of signs and symptoms during the eruption of primary teeth in infants aged 0-36 months, were included. Two reviewers extracted data using a pre-piloted sheet. Data were analyzed and pooled by using random-effects meta-analyses.

Twenty-five studies were included. The global prevalence of teething problems was 80.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 67.8-89.9). The most common local symptom was increased biting (65.9%, 95% CI 37.5-89.3), and irritability (60.7%, 95% CI 50.6-70.3) was the most common general symptom.

The pooled prevalence of teething problems was estimated to be 80%. There was a variability in the prevalence of teething problems based on geographic location.