Afolabi Adebukunola O, Ehizele Adebola O, Nnawuihe Ukachi Chiwendu, Nwaokorie Francisca O, Nwaozuru Ucheoma, Owotade Foluso, Lusher Joanne, Eleje George Uchenna, Alade Omolola T, Akinsolu Folahanmi T, Ezechi Oliver C, Foláyan Moréniké Oluwátóyìn
Oral Health Initiative, Centre for Population Studies, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
BMC Oral Health. 2025 Jul 10;25(1):1138. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06504-2.
The paucity of actionable data on the epidemiological profile of dental caries among adolescents in Nigeria poses significant challenges to policy formulation and implementation. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dental caries among adolescents in Nigeria and identify dental caries preventive behaviours associated with dental caries experience among adolescents in Nigeria over 10 years.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on dental caries among adolescents was undertaken in September 2023. Literature searches were conducted across Academic Info, Cochrane Library, Refseek, and PubMed databases and Google Scholar, to identify studies on dental caries prevalence and dental caries preventive behaviour among adolescents in Nigeria that were published between January 2013 and December 2022. Eligible studies included cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies. Studies were also included if they presented data for at least one of the primary outcomes. Excluded were studies without information on the sample size, those with incomplete or overlapping samples, case reports, case series, editorials, or reviews without primary data. Heterogeneity was assessed using I percentages, and a funnel plot evaluated publication bias. A random effects model was used to determine the prevalence of dental caries with subgroup analysis by sex. The review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist to assess the quality and integrity of the included studies. The systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024458849).
Sixteen studies met the eligibility criteria. The pooled prevalence of dental caries among adolescents in Nigeria was 23.0% (95% CI: 16-30). The pooled prevalence for males was 16.0% (95% CI: 9-23) and that for females was 22.0% (95% CI: 11-32). The commonest dental caries preventive practices reported were daily tooth brushing, use of fluoride-containing toothpastes, and dental service utilization. Factors associated with dental caries included a history of dental service utilization, poor oral hygiene practices, and consumption of refined carbohydrates in-between-meals.
The high prevalence of dental caries among adolescents in Nigeria warrants programmatic attention with an emphasis on improving oral hygiene practices and controlling the consumption of refined carbohydrates in-between-meals. Dental service utilization for dental caries preventive needs to be encouraged.
尼日利亚青少年龋齿流行病学特征方面可用于采取行动的数据匮乏，这给政策制定和实施带来了重大挑战。本研究旨在估计尼日利亚青少年龋齿的患病率，并确定过去10年中与尼日利亚青少年龋齿经历相关的龋齿预防行为。
2023年9月对青少年龋齿研究进行了系统综述和荟萃分析。在学术信息库、考克兰图书馆、Refseek、PubMed数据库以及谷歌学术上进行文献检索，以确定2013年1月至2022年12月期间发表的关于尼日利亚青少年龋齿患病率和龋齿预防行为的研究。符合条件的研究包括横断面研究、队列研究和病例对照研究。如果研究呈现了至少一项主要结局的数据，也将其纳入。排除的研究包括没有样本量信息的研究、样本不完整或重叠的研究、病例报告、病例系列、社论或没有原始数据的综述。使用I²百分比评估异质性，并通过漏斗图评估发表偏倚。采用随机效应模型确定龋齿患病率，并按性别进行亚组分析。该综述遵循系统综述和荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南以及乔安娜·布里格斯研究所（JBI）的批判性评价清单，以评估纳入研究的质量和完整性。该系统综述已在国际前瞻性系统综述注册库（PROSPERO）上注册（注册号：CRD42024458849）。
16项研究符合纳入标准。尼日利亚青少年龋齿的合并患病率为23.0%（95%置信区间：16 - 30）。男性的合并患病率为16.0%（95%置信区间：9 - 23），女性为22.0%（95%置信区间：11 - 32）。报告的最常见的龋齿预防措施是每日刷牙、使用含氟牙膏和利用牙科服务。与龋齿相关的因素包括利用牙科服务的历史、不良的口腔卫生习惯以及餐间食用精制碳水化合物。
尼日利亚青少年龋齿的高患病率值得通过项目关注，重点是改善口腔卫生习惯和控制餐间精制碳水化合物的摄入。需要鼓励利用牙科服务进行龋齿预防。
