Socioeconomic Position and Dental Caries in Latin America: A Systematic Review

Abstract

People who are in a bad socioeconomic position usually experience bad health outcomes. Moreover, higher mortality rates are linked to deteriorating socioeconomic status. This trend can also be observed in oral health. Worldwide, the highest prevalence of disease caries in permanent teeth was observed in Andean Latin America. The aim of this review was to determine the risk of caries based on the socioeconomic position in Latin America. The protocol was designed in accordance with the Cochrane standards for systematic reviews. The search criteria met the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 152 articles were reviewed. Finally, 9 studies were included in the review. There is a direct association between socioeconomic status, parents' educational level, family income, and oral health education and patients' caries experience. Furthermore, this review highlights the lack of research in Latin America on oral health and the lack of policies based on scientific evidence to try to reduce the caries rate in the pediatric and adult population.