Verma Ankita, Priyank Harsh, P Renuka, Kumari Minti, Sayed Abdul Nishath, Shivakumar Sahana
Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Hazaribag College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Ranchi, IND.
Department of Conservative, Endodontics and Aesthetic Dentistry, Dental Institute Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, IND.
Cureus. 2023 Jul 10;15(7):e41673. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41673. eCollection 2023 Jul.
There is a knowledge gap in the literature regarding oral health disparities (OHD) in minority and indigenous (IG) paediatric cohorts that needs to be addressed. Disparities in oral health among children are a pressing concern, highlighting inequities in access to dental care and meeting needs. The current systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the prevailing understanding of OHD in the minority and IG strata. A meticulous search strategy was formulated by a team of reviewers to identify pertinent studies from databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar and EMBASE. Data extraction and article selection strictly adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was employed to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies included. Review Manager version 5.4 was used to synthesise quantitative data. A total of five cross-sectional studies were included in the final analysis. The findings consistently demonstrated the existence of racial and socioeconomic disparities in oral health across varying age groups and geographical locations in the defined population. Significant disparities in oral health outcomes were observed between IG and non-IG populations, with IG and minority groups exhibiting a heightened vulnerability to oral health challenges. Through a meta-analysis of the compiled data, a statistically significant association was established between children (being a member of a minority group) and unmet oral health needs. Socioeconomic status (SES) and maternal education were factors that showed a significant impact on oral health disparity. All studies were graded to be of the low-risk category based on the NOS risk of bias tool. This review successfully identified several influential factors contributing to oral health disparities, such as cultural practices, dietary patterns and access to oral healthcare services. Additionally, discernible differences in oral health status were evident between IG and non-IG children, with IG children enduring a greater burden of oral health difficulties. These findings underscore the imperative for targeted interventions and policy measures aimed at addressing the specific oral health needs of minority and IG paediatric populations, with the overarching goal of mitigating the existing disparities.
关于少数族裔和原住民儿科队列中的口腔健康差异，文献中存在知识空白，需要加以解决。儿童口腔健康差异是一个紧迫问题，凸显了在获得牙科护理和满足需求方面的不公平现象。当前的系统评价旨在全面综合对少数族裔和原住民阶层口腔健康差异的现有认识。一组评审人员制定了细致的检索策略，以从PubMed、MEDLINE、Scopus、谷歌学术和EMBASE数据库中识别相关研究。数据提取和文章选择严格遵循系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南。采用纽卡斯尔-渥太华量表（NOS）评估纳入研究的方法学质量。使用Review Manager 5.4版本综合定量数据。最终分析共纳入五项横断面研究。研究结果一致表明，在特定人群中，不同年龄组和地理位置的口腔健康存在种族和社会经济差异。在原住民和非原住民人群之间观察到口腔健康结果存在显著差异，原住民和少数族裔群体在口腔健康挑战方面表现出更高的脆弱性。通过对汇总数据的Meta分析，在儿童（作为少数族裔群体成员）与未满足的口腔健康需求之间建立了具有统计学意义的关联。社会经济地位（SES）和母亲教育程度是对口腔健康差异有显著影响的因素。根据NOS偏倚风险工具，所有研究均被评为低风险类别。本综述成功识别了导致口腔健康差异的几个影响因素，如文化习俗、饮食模式和获得口腔医疗服务的机会。此外，原住民和非原住民儿童在口腔健康状况上存在明显差异，原住民儿童承受着更大的口腔健康困难负担。这些发现强调了采取针对性干预措施和政策措施的必要性，旨在满足少数族裔和原住民儿科人群的特定口腔健康需求，总体目标是减轻现有差异。
