ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Dent. Med.
Sec. Pediatric Dentistry
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdmed.2025.1624571
This article is part of the Research TopicOral Diseases and Prevention in Pregnant Women, Infants and Preschool ChildrenView all 7 articles
Global, Regional and National Burden of Deciduous Dental Caries from 1990 to 2021: Analysis of Risk Factors and Prediction of Trends in 2035
Provisionally accepted
- 1Guiyang Hospital of Stomatology, Guiyang, China
- 2Universität Hamburg, ZBH-Center for Bioinformatics, Hamburg, Germany
- 3University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background/Aim: Early childhood caries (ECC) is one of the most prevalent global oral health issues in children under five years old, significantly impacting their overall health and quality of life. This study aimed to analyze the global, regional, and national burden of ECC from 1990 to 2021, identify associated risk factors, and predict trends through 2040. It further examined the influence of socio-demographic factors, sex, and age on ECC incidence and prevalence. Patients and Methods: Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database were analyzed using Bayesian Meta-Regression models to estimate ECC incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) across 204 countries and regions. Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) levels, sex, and age-specific trends were assessed. Age-standardized rates and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated. Predictive models, including ARIMA, were developed to forecast future trends. Results: Between 1990 and 2021, ECC incidence and prevalence showed modest declines globally, with significant variations across SDI regions. High SDI regions exhibited the lowest burden due to effective public health measures, while medium and low SDI regions faced persistent challenges. Sex disparities were observed, with males showing slightly higher rates than females. Children aged 5 to 9 years bore the highest burden of ECC. Predictions for 2040 indicate a potential rebound in ECC incidence in low and medium SDI regions without targeted interventions. Conclusion: This study highlights the substantial burden of ECC, particularly in under-resourced regions, and underscores the need for tailored public health strategies. Effective prevention, improved healthcare access, and education are critical to reducing ECC burden globally, ensuring better oral health outcomes for children, and addressing disparities across socio-economic, sex, and age groups.
Keywords: Deciduous Dental Caries, Global burden of disease, socio-demographic index, ARIMA model, Public Health
Received: 09 May 2025; Accepted: 04 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Feng, Xiao, Wang, Feng and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Li-Yuan Xiao, Guiyang Hospital of Stomatology, Guiyang, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.