Scoping Review of Early Childhood Caries Prevalence in Mexico

Abstract

Background. Dental caries during childhood has been identified as a widespread public health problem due to its high prevalence, impact on quality of life, potential for increased risk of caries in the permanent dentition, and its negative role in general health. Although largely preventable, more effective prevention strategies are still required. In Mexico, a great variation of prevalence has been reported from 22.1% to 77.2%. Thus, we performed a scoping review to identify the prevalence of ECC in Mexico. Study design: A search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Medigraphic, and EBSCO from 2000 to 2021. A total of 837 documents were identified, 43 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 24 were included. Results. University clinics had the highest prevalence, 79.81%. Day Care Centers ranged from 17.9%-82.2% (mean = 64.3%). Risk factors included bottle content, ad-lib breastfeeding, mothers’ caries index, and socioeconomic covariates. Conclusions. Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Severe Early Childhood Caries (SECC) remain a health problem. High variability of prevalence was noted, with treatment centers presenting the highest rates. Future protocols should determine adequate sample sizes, ensure examiner calibration, and employ contemporary caries detection indices. The consistent global use of standardized criteria is essential.