Oral Health Conditions of Preschool Children Among Birth Cohort Studies: A Scoping Review

Purpose: Oral health is an integral part of health and well-being. Through birth cohorts, it is possible to identify health conditions and pathways of exposure that occur earlier in life. The objective of this study was to identify the data collected by birth cohorts regarding the oral health of children aged 0 to 5 years and to determine the relationship between their dental health status and their environment.
Materials and Methods: Five databases were queried: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source. Eligible articles presented data on children’s oral health before their 6th birthday, based on birth cohorts. They could be based on clinical, epidemiological, or self-reported oral health data obtained during at least one follow-up between birth and the age of 6 years.
Results: 3083 articles were identified in biomedical literature databases. After exclusions for various reasons, 359 abstracts and finally 145 full-length articles were read. A total of 101 articles were included in the analysis. These 101 articles came from 43 cohorts on 5 continents. They were published between October 1980 and January 2022. The most frequently identified theme was early childhood caries and its associated factors. Other themes were also studied: quality of life in relation to oral health, children’s use of dental care, eruption of primary teeth, enamel anomalies, dental trauma, occlusion, and parafunctions in childhood.
Conclusion: Preschool children’s oral health has been widely studied in terms of caries and its risk factors. However, biopsychosocial determinants have to date been insufficiently studied in these birth cohorts. Keywords: birth cohort, oral health, preschool children, scoping review