Early childhood caries and its impact on general health: Narrative review

Mireya Catalina León Abad *, Michelle Bridget Guerrero Andrade and Tutora Fernanda de Lourdes Cárdenas Vidal

Faculty of Dentistry, University of Cuenca, Ecuador, Cuenca.
 
Review Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 22(02), 083–092
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2024.22.2.1182
 
Publication history: 
Received on 18 March 2024; revised on 28 April 2024; accepted on 30 April 2024
 
Abstract: 
Objective: To analyze publications about the impact that early childhood caries has on the general health of this group of patients.
Materials and methods: A narrative review was conducted that included articles published from 2017 to 2023 in the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scielo and Google Scholar.
Results: Of the 21 articles selected for the narrative review, it was found that the most frequent problems were: the presence of dental pain, followed by difficulty eating and drinking hot and cold beverages, and finally difficulty sleeping.
Conclusion: Early childhood caries is considered a worldwide health problem that affects children under 6 years of age, causing problems both in the oral cavity and in general health, generating phonetic and psychological risks, among others that affect the quality of life of the child and his or her parents or caregivers.
 
Keywords: 
Quality of life; Dental caries; Oral health; Complications; Health evaluation.
 
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