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Screening and Interventions to Prevent Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age Five Years: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Evidence Synthesis, No. 210
Investigators: Roger Chou, MD, FACP, Miranda Pappas, MA, Tracy Dana, MLS, Shelley Selph, MD, MPH, Erica Hart, MBS, Rongwei F. Fu, PhD, and Eli Schwarz, DDS, PhD, MPH.
Structured Abstract
Background:
In 2014, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and harms of screening for dental caries, but recommended that primary care clinicians prescribe oral fluoride supplementation to preschool children starting at age 6 months whose primary water source is deficient in fluoride and apply fluoride varnish to the primary teeth of all infants and children starting at the age of primary tooth eruption.
Purpose:
To systematically review the current evidence on primary care screening for and prevention of dental caries in children younger than 5 years old.
Data Sources:
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (through April, 2021), and MEDLINE (2013 to April, 2021); with surveillance through July 23, 2021, and manually reviewed reference lists.
Study Selection:
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled observational studies on benefits and harms of screening versus no screening and referral to dental care from primary care versus no referral; studies on the diagnostic accuracy of oral examination and risk assessment by primary care clinicians; RCTs on benefits and harms of oral health education and preventive interventions; and systematic reviews on risk of fluorosis associated with early childhood ingestion of dietary fluoride supplements.
Data Extraction:
One investigator abstracted data and a second investigator checked data abstraction for accuracy. Two investigators independently assessed study quality using methods developed by the USPSTF.
Data Synthesis (Results):
Thirty-three studies (reported in 36 publications) were included in this update (19 RCTs, four non-randomized trials, nine observational studies, and one systematic review [19 studies]). Seventeen studies were newly identified as part of this update and 16 studies (including the systematic review) were carried forward from the previous review. No randomized trial or observational study compared clinical outcomes between children younger than 5 years of age screened and not screened by primary care clinicians for dental caries. One good-quality cohort study (n=258) found primary care pediatrician examination following 2 hours of training associated with a sensitivity of 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55 to 0.91) for identifying a child with one or more cavities and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.42 to 0.81) for identifying children younger than 36 months of age in need of a dental referral, compared with a pediatric dentist evaluation. One study (n=697) found a novel risk assessment tool administered by home visitor nurses associated with suboptimal accuracy for predicting future caries in children 1 year of age. The prior USPSTF review found oral fluoride supplementation associated with reduced caries incidence versus no supplementation in children younger than 5 years of age in settings with inadequate water fluoridation, though only one trial was randomized; we identified no new trials. The prior USPSTF review included a systematic review of observational studies which found an association between early childhood ingestion of systemic fluoride and enamel fluorosis. Topical fluoride (all trials except for one evaluated varnish) associated with decreased caries increment (13 trials in updated meta-analysis, N=5733, mean difference in decayed, missing, and filled teeth or surfaces −0.94, 95% CI, −1.74 to −0.34) and decreased likelihood of incident caries (12 trials, N=8177, RR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.95; absolute risk difference −7%, 95% CI, −12% to −2%) versus placebo or no varnish, with no increase in risk of fluorosis or other adverse events. Almost all trials of topical fluoride were conducted in higher risk populations or settings. Evidence on other preventive interventions was limited (xylitol) or unavailable (silver diamine fluoride). Evidence on educational or counseling interventions is very sparse and no studies directly evaluated the effectiveness of primary care referral to a dentist versus no referral.
Limitations:
Only English-language articles were included. Graphical methods were not used to assess for publication bias, due to diversity in populations, settings, and outcomes, and substantial statistical heterogeneity. Statistical heterogeneity was present in pooled analyses of fluoride varnish and not explained by stratification on a variety of factors. Studies conducted in resource-poor settings may be of limited applicability to screening in the United States. Most studies had methodological limitations.
Conclusions:
Dietary fluoride supplementation and fluoride varnish appear to be effective at preventing caries outcomes in higher risk children younger than 5 years of age. Dietary fluoride supplementation in early childhood is associated with risk of enamel fluorosis, which is usually not severe. More research is needed to understand the accuracy of oral health examination and caries risk assessment by primary care clinicians, primary care referral for dental care, and effective parental and caregiver/guardian educational and counseling interventions.
Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1. Introduction and Background
- Chapter 2. Methods
- Chapter 3. Results
- Screening for Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years
- Key Question 1. How Effective Is Oral Screening (Including Risk Assessment) Performed by a Primary Care Clinician in Preventing Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years?
- Key Question 2a. How Accurate Is Screening Performed by a Primary Care Clinician in Identifying Children Younger Than Age 5 Years Who Have Cavitated or Noncavitated Caries Lesions?
- Key Question 2b. How Accurate Is Screening Performed by a Primary Care Clinician in Identifying Children Younger Than Age 5 Years Who Are at Increased Risk for Future Dental Caries?
- Key Question 3. What Are the Harms of Oral Health Screening Performed by a Primary Care Clinician in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years?
- Interventions to Prevent Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years
- Key Question 1. How Accurate Is Screening Performed by a Primary Care Clinician in Identifying Children Younger Than Age 5 Years Who Are at Increased Risk of Future Dental Caries?
- Key Question 2. How Effective Is Parental or Caregiver/Guardian Oral Health Education Provided by a Primary Care Clinician in Preventing Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years?
- Key Question 3. How Effective Is Referral by a Primary Care Clinician to a Dental Health Care Professional in Preventing Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years?
- Key Question 4. How Effective Are Preventive Interventions (Dietary Fluoride Supplementation, Topical Fluoride Application, Silver Diamine Fluoride, or Xylitol) in Preventing Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years?
- Key Question 5. What Are the Harms of Specific Oral Health Interventions to Prevent Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years (Parental or Caregiver/Guardian Oral Health Education, Referral to a Dental Health Care Professional, and Preventive Interventions)?
- Contextual Question. 1. How Effective Is Silver Diamine Fluoride in Preventing Dental Caries in Children Age 5 Years or Older?
- Chapter 4. Discussion
- References
- Appendixes
Suggested citation:
Chou R, Pappas M, Dana T, Selph S, Hart E, Schwarz E. Screening and Prevention of Dental Caries in Children Younger Than Age Five Years: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Evidence Synthesis No. 210. AHRQ Publication No. 21-05279-EF-1. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2021.
This report is based on research conducted by the Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, MD (Contract No. HHSA-290-2015-00009-I, Prism Order No. HHSA29032014T). The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors, who are responsible for its contents, and do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. Therefore, no statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The information in this report is intended to help healthcare decisionmakers—patients and clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers, among others—make well-informed decisions and thereby improve the quality of healthcare services. This report is not intended to be a substitute for the application of clinical judgment. Anyone who makes decisions concerning the provision of clinical care should consider this report in the same way as any medical reference and in conjunction with all other pertinent information (i.e., in the context of available resources and circumstances presented by individual patients).
This report may be used, in whole or in part, as the basis for development of clinical practice guidelines and other quality enhancement tools, or as a basis for reimbursement and coverage policies. AHRQ or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorsement of such derivative products may not be stated or implied.
None of the investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement that conflicts with the material presented in this report.
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