AI-based applications supporting informal caregivers in childhood caries prevention and management: protocol for a...

Dental caries remains highly prevalent among children despite being preventable. Limited access to dental services, workforce shortages and low oral health literacy among informal caregivers contribute to its delayed detection and poor oral health outcomes for children. As informal caregivers play a vital role in children's daily oral health practices, innovative and scalable approaches are needed to support them. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based mobile health applications could potentially help engage these caregivers in education, early detection, and other preventive activities. However, the evidence is still limited. The objective of this review is to map and characterise the existing evidence on caregiver-centred AI-based applications supporting the management and prevention of childhood dental caries.

The scoping review will adhere to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology guideline, using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) for reporting structure and PRISMA-S (PRISMA Search Reporting Extension) for a comprehensive search strategy. The search strategy will be developed in collaboration with an expert librarian. An initial search will be conducted in Embase (Ovid) and adapted for other databases (MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed and Scopus). Two reviewers will independently screen the titles, abstracts and full-text articles, with a third resolving any conflicts. The included studies will be selected according to the participants, concept and context (PCC) framework, in any setting and any country, that addresses AI-based applications facilitated by informal caregivers for caries prevention and management in children. Articles published in English and primary studies will be included, with no restrictions on publication date. Data will be charted and synthesised using descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic mapping.

Ethics approval is not required for this review. These findings will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed publication and at academic conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION DETAILS: (https://osf.io/7akw5).