Social capital and oral health in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2022 Dec;50(6):461-468. doi: 10.1111/cdoe.12714. Epub 2021 Dec 24.

Abstract

Objectives: To systematically evaluate the association of individual and contextual social capital with oral health outcomes in children and adolescents.

Methods: Electronic searches were performed in PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus databases for articles published from 1966 up to June 2021. Two calibrated reviewers screened and critically appraised the identified papers. Observational studies that evaluated the relationship of individual or/and contextual social capital or their proxies with oral health outcomes in children and adolescents using validated methods were included. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data were extracted for narrative synthesis and meta-analysis followed by a meta-regression model. Meta-analysis using random effects method was used to estimate pooled prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: Of the 3060 studies initially retrieved, 31 were included in the systematic review and 21 in the meta-analysis, totalling 81 241 individuals. The clinical outcomes included dental caries and gingival bleeding and subjective outcomes were oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and self-rated oral health (SROH). Individuals with lower levels of individual social capital had a higher prevalence of poor clinical (PR 1.11; 95%CI 1.02-1.22) and subjective (PR 1.25; 95%CI 1.09-1.45) oral health conditions. The prevalence of worse clinical (PR 1.34; 95%CI 1.11-1.61) and subjective (PR 1.56; 95%CI 1.13-2.16) oral health outcomes were also associated with lower levels of contextual social capital. In general, the contextual level of social capital exerted more impact, and the subjective oral health outcomes were the more affected.

Conclusions: Contextual and individual social capital were positively related to oral health outcomes, such as dental caries, gingival bleeding, SROH and OHRQoL in children and adolescents.

Keywords: children; oral health; social network; social support; systematic review.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Systematic Review
  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Dental Caries* / epidemiology
  • Gingival Hemorrhage
  • Humans
  • Oral Health
  • Quality of Life
  • Social Capital*