{"title":"Global prevalence of dental caries in the older people, 1991 to 2024: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Yasaman Almasvandi, Narges Ziaei, Mohsen Kazeminia, Parvin Abbasi","doi":"10.1007/s44445-025-00039-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Oral health is an integral part of the overall health of the elderly, significantly impacting their physical, social, and psychological well-being. This study aimed to synthesize, summarize, and standardize the results of primary studies, resolve inconsistencies, examine the influence of potential factors, and estimate the global prevalence of dental caries in the elderly through a systematic review and meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The systematic review and meta-analysis covered studies published from 1991 to November 2024. Relevant articles were identified through searches in international databases, including Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS), using appropriate keywords. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. Heterogeneity among studies was evaluated using the I<sup>2</sup> statistic. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, version 2.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The initial search yielded 20,374 studies, of which 31 articles with a total sample size of 26,703 individuals met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The global prevalence of dental caries in the elderly was estimated at 60.7% (95% confidence interval: 54.6%-66.4%). The highest prevalence was observed in the Americas at 79.6% (95% CI: 34.8%-96.6%). Meta-regression analysis revealed that the prevalence of dental caries decreased with larger sample sizes, higher study quality, and older age, while it increased over time (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings indicate a high prevalence of dental caries among the elderly, particularly in the Americas, with an upward trend in recent years. It is recommended that health policymakers prioritize prevention and control measures for this condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":47246,"journal":{"name":"Saudi Dental Journal","volume":"37 7-9","pages":"31"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12276169/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Saudi Dental Journal","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s44445-025-00039-6","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Oral health is an integral part of the overall health of the elderly, significantly impacting their physical, social, and psychological well-being. This study aimed to synthesize, summarize, and standardize the results of primary studies, resolve inconsistencies, examine the influence of potential factors, and estimate the global prevalence of dental caries in the elderly through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods: The systematic review and meta-analysis covered studies published from 1991 to November 2024. Relevant articles were identified through searches in international databases, including Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS), using appropriate keywords. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. Heterogeneity among studies was evaluated using the I2 statistic. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, version 2.
Results: The initial search yielded 20,374 studies, of which 31 articles with a total sample size of 26,703 individuals met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The global prevalence of dental caries in the elderly was estimated at 60.7% (95% confidence interval: 54.6%-66.4%). The highest prevalence was observed in the Americas at 79.6% (95% CI: 34.8%-96.6%). Meta-regression analysis revealed that the prevalence of dental caries decreased with larger sample sizes, higher study quality, and older age, while it increased over time (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The findings indicate a high prevalence of dental caries among the elderly, particularly in the Americas, with an upward trend in recent years. It is recommended that health policymakers prioritize prevention and control measures for this condition.
期刊介绍:
Saudi Dental Journal is an English language, peer-reviewed scholarly publication in the area of dentistry. Saudi Dental Journal publishes original research and reviews on, but not limited to: • dental disease • clinical trials • dental equipment • new and experimental techniques • epidemiology and oral health • restorative dentistry • periodontology • endodontology • prosthodontics • paediatric dentistry • orthodontics and dental education Saudi Dental Journal is the official publication of the Saudi Dental Society and is published by King Saud University in collaboration with Elsevier and is edited by an international group of eminent researchers.