Prevalence of Dental Caries and Associated Factors in East Africa, 2000–2020: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Dental caries affects mastication, growth and development, and school attendance and has a long-term psychological effect on affected individuals. In developing countries, the prevalence of dental caries is increasing due to the growing consumption of sugary foods, poor tooth brushing habits, and a low level of awareness about dental caries. Even if there was a high prevalence of dental caries in sub-Saharan Africa, there is a paucity of data on the prevalence of dental caries in East Africa. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of dental caries and associated factors in East Africa.Methods: A systematic search of articles was conducted in MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar using all the synonyms of dental caries in published literature (until December 2020) in East Africa. Important data were extracted using a standardized data extraction form prepared in Excel. Stata software (version 14.0) was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of dental caries. Besides, subgroup analysis was done based on country and dentition type. Moreover, associated factors of dental caries were assessed and the overall effect was presented in the form of odds ratios. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute reviewers' manual.Results: The overall pooled prevalence of dental caries was found to be 45.7% (95% CI = 38.0–53.4). The pooled prevalence was high in Eritrea (65.2%, 95% CI = 49.2–81.1), followed by Sudan (57.8%, 95% CI = 36.0–79.7), and a low prevalence was found in Tanzania (30.7%, 95% CI = 21.5–39.9). Moreover, the subgroup analysis revealed a prevalence of 50% (95% CI = 38.4–62.1) in permanent dentition and 41.3% (95% CI = 33.5–49.2) in mixed dentition. The overall mean decayed, missed, and filled permanent (DMFT) and primary (dmft) teeth were 1.941 (95% CI = 1.561–2.322) and 2.237 (95% CI = 1.293–3.181), respectively. High DMFT scores were reported in Sudan (3.146, 95% CI = 1.050–5.242) and Uganda (2.876, 95% CI = 2.186–3.565). Being female (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.24–1.46) and having poor tooth brushing habit (OR = 1.967, 95% CI = 1.67–2.33) were independent risk factors of dental caries.Conclusion: The overall prevalence of dental caries was comparatively high. Being female and poor oral health practice were independent risk factors of dental caries. The Ministry of Health of the member countries, along with dental associations of each country, ought to offer due attention to strengthen the oral health program in schools and primary health care centers and the implementation of school water fluoridation.

The Effect of Parental Education and Socioeconomic Status on Dental Caries among Saudi Children

“…Gender also showed significant association, where females were more prone to caries in the current study than males, which is in a line with several other studies [52,53]. Girls usually exhibit earlier eruption of teeth than boys which subject them to higher caries incidence [54]. Additionally, dental fear was reported to be higher among girls than boys, which might hinder girls from going to dental visits and performing needed dental treatment [55,56].…”

Dental caries and associated factors among patients visiting Shashamane Comprehensive Specialized Hospital

“…This study revealed a high prevalence of dental caries, 64.6%, which is comparable with a cross-sectional study conducted in Turkey (62%) that involved large sample size [ 11 ]; however, it is higher than school-based cross-sectional studies conducted in Kenya 37.5% [ 12 ], Bahirdar, Ethiopia (21.8%) [ 13 ], North West, Ethiopia (36%) [ 14 ], and a hospital-based cross-sectional-study conducted in Gondar, Ethiopia (23.64%) [ 15 ]. A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in East Africa (45.7%) [ 16 ] and Ethiopia (40.98%) [ 17 ] and a school-based cross-sectional study conducted in Shawa, Ethiopia [ 18 ] also revealed a low prevalence of dental caries as compared to the current study.…”

“…The MDFT index detected in this study, 1.33, was comparable with a study conducted in North Showa, Ethiopia among school children (1.28±1.21) [ 18 ] and a study from Gondar Ethiopia (1.095±0.24) [ 15 ]. A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Teshome et al [ 16 ] reported a comparable mean of DMFT (1.9441). However, Teshome et al [ 16 ] reported a high mean of DMFT from Sudan (3.146) and Uganda (2.876).…”

“…A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Teshome et al [ 16 ] reported a comparable mean of DMFT (1.9441). However, Teshome et al [ 16 ] reported a high mean of DMFT from Sudan (3.146) and Uganda (2.876). The highest mean of DMFT was reported from Sudan (8.7+5.9) [ 20 ] and the lowest mean of DMFT was reported from Kenya (0.24) [ 22 ].…”

New Method of Avoiding Underestimation of Caries Incidence and Its Association with Possible Risk Factors in Japanese University Students: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…It has negative impacts on oral health and quality of life [2] and is one of the main reasons for the extraction of permanent teeth in Japan [3]. Dental caries is a multifactorial disease involving interactions between the diet, the host, and the microorganisms over time [4], as well as other risk factors [5][6][7][8][9].…”