Early Childhood Caries Advocacy Group, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
PLoS One. 2024 Jul 11;19(7):e0304523. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304523. eCollection 2024.
The Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG15) deals with protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests, halting and reversing land degradation, combating desertification and halting biodiversity loss. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the current evidence on the association between SDG 15 and Early Childhood Caries (ECC).
This scoping review was reported in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Formal literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus in March 2023 using key search terms. Studies with the criteria (in English, with full text available, addressing component of life on land, focusing on dental caries in humans, with results that can be extrapolated to control ECC in children less than 6 years of age) were included. Retrieved papers were summarised and a conceptual framework developed regarding the postulated link between SDG15 and ECC.
Two publications met the inclusion criteria. Both publications were ecological studies relating environmental findings to aggregated health data at the area level. One study concluded that the eco-hydrogeological environment was associated with human health, including caries. The other reported that excessive calcium was associated with the presence of compounds increasing groundwater acidity that had an impact on human health, including caries. The two ecological studies were linked to SDG 15.1. It is also plausible that SDG 15.2 and SDG 15.3 may reduce the risk for food insecurity, unemployment, gender inequality, zoonotic infections, conflict and migration; while SDG 15.4 may improve access to medicinal plants such as anticariogenic chewing sticks and reduction in the consumption of cariogenic diets.
There are currently no studies to support an association between ECC and SDG15 although there are multiple plausible pathways for such an association that can be explored. There is also the possibility of synergistic actions between the elements of soil, water and air in ways that differentially affect the risk of ECC. Studies on the direct link between the SDG15 and ECC are needed. These studies will require the use of innovative research approaches.
可持续发展目标 15（SDG15）涉及保护、恢复和促进陆地生态系统的可持续利用，可持续管理森林，制止和扭转土地退化，防治荒漠化，制止生物多样性的丧失。本范围界定审查的目的是绘制关于可持续发展目标 15 与幼儿龋病（ECC）之间关联的现有证据图。
本范围界定审查按照系统评价和元分析扩展的首选报告项目（PRISMA-ScR）指南进行报告。2023 年 3 月，使用关键搜索词在 PubMed、Web of Science 和 Scopus 中进行了正式文献检索。纳入标准为（英文，全文可用，涉及陆地生命的组成部分，重点是人类龋齿，结果可推断用于控制 6 岁以下儿童的 ECC）的研究。对检索到的论文进行总结，并制定了一个关于假设的 SDG15 与 ECC 之间联系的概念框架。
有两项出版物符合纳入标准。这两项出版物都是将环境发现与区域层面的综合健康数据相关联的生态研究。一项研究得出结论，生态水文地质环境与人的健康有关，包括龋齿。另一项报告称，过量的钙与增加地下水酸度的化合物的存在有关，这些化合物会对人类健康产生影响，包括龋齿。这两项生态研究与 SDG 15.1 有关。同样可以假设，SDG 15.2 和 SDG 15.3 可能降低食物不安全、失业、性别不平等、人畜共患感染、冲突和移徙的风险；而 SDG 15.4 可能改善对药用植物的获取，例如抗龋咀嚼棒，并减少致龋饮食的消费。
目前没有研究支持 ECC 与 SDG15 之间的关联，尽管存在多种可能的关联途径可以探索。土壤、水和空气中的元素也有可能以不同的方式协同作用，从而影响 ECC 的风险。需要进行关于 SDG15 与 ECC 之间直接联系的研究。这些研究将需要使用创新的研究方法。
