Dental caries in children and adolescents with type 1 Diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate studies in which children/adolescents with type 1 Diabetes (DM1) were compared with children/adolescents without DM1 as regards dental caries. Methods: Electronic searches in Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, PubMed, OpenGrey, and Google Scholar databases were conducted up to December/2020. Study selection was carried out separately by two reviewers. References that met the eligibility criteria were included. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Meta-analyses were conducted. Mean difference (MD) and confidence intervals (CI) were provided. Results: In the database searches, 751 references were retrieved. Following the removal of 102 duplicates, 649 references were assessed, and 16 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Discrepancies in results were found among the included studies. Two meta-analyses demonstrated no significant difference between children/adolescents with DM1 and children/adolescents without DM1 regarding the mean number of permanent teeth with caries (MD = 0.07; CI =-0.68 – 0.82), as well as no significant difference between children/ adolescents with DM1 and children/adolescents without DM1 with respect to the mean number of permanent tooth surfaces with caries (MD = 0.20; CI =-2.22 – 2.61). The third meta-analysis revealed that children/adolescents without DM1 had a significantly higher mean number of primary teeth with caries in comparison to children/adolescents with DM1 (MD = 0.34; CI = 0.31 – 0.37). The major issues in the risk of bias assessment were the definition of controls and comparison between cases and controls. Conclusion: The occurrence of caries seems to be lower in children/adolescents with DM1 than in children/adolescents without DM1.