Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Jul 12;24(1):781.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-04548-4.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and early childhood dental caries in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Dorsa Samani #  1 , SeyedMehdi Ziaei #  2 , Farhan Musaie #  3 , Hooman Mokhtari  4 , Rubina Valipour  5 , Mahsa Etemadi  6 , Narin Gharehdaghi  7 , Seyede Fateme Rezaei  8 , Soheil Raji  9 , Tara Fazel  10 , Alireza Mokhtari Sakhvidi  11 , Niloofar Deravi  12   13
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and early childhood dental caries in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Dorsa Samani et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: Early childhood dental caries, or ECC, is a significant global oral health concern associated with various adverse outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the potential link between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the occurrence of dental caries in children.

Method: Through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for studies examining the correlation between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood caries, we identified 609 relevant articles up to October 2023. Studies were selected, and data extraction was based on the pre-established eligibility criteria and items. Meta-analysis was executed utilizing Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA) with a random effects model, ensuring a robust synthesis of the gathered evidence.

Result: 7 cohorts and five cross-sectional studies, totaling 12 studies, were included in our analysis. The combined results from the studies revealed a significant association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and an increased risk of dental caries in children (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.55-2.05, I2 = 68.53). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of our results. However, there were indications of publication bias, as suggested by the funnel plot and Egger's test (P = 0.011) concerning the connection between prenatal smoking and childhood caries.

Conclusion: This review underscores the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood dental caries. Nevertheless, confounding variables influence this link, necessitating more large-scale, longitudinal studies with adjusted factors. Additional randomized control trials are needed to validate these findings due to the observed heterogeneity. Future research should investigate the precise reasons behind this association. It is essential to raise awareness among pregnant women about the risks of smoking through educational programs.

Keywords: Children; Dental caries; Maternal smoking; Meta-analysis; Pregnancy; Systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prisma flow diagram of the study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of maternal smoking during pregnancy and dental caries in children
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Funnel plot of maternal smoking during pregnancy and dental caries in children
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Davidson KW, Barry MJ, Mangione CM, Cabana M, Caughey AB, Davis EM, et al. Screening and interventions to prevent dental caries in children younger than 5 years: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA. 2021;326(21):2172–8. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.20007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kumar CM, Swarnim S. Dental Caries in Children: an update. Indian Pediatr. 2024;61(3):281–4. doi: 10.1007/s13312-024-3190-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van der Tas JT, Wolvius EB, Kragt L, Rivadeneira F, Moll HA, Steegers EA, et al. Caries experience among children born after a complicated pregnancy. Commun Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2021;49(3):225–31. doi: 10.1111/cdoe.12593. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fontana M, Eckert G, Katz B, Keels M, Levy B, Levy S, et al. Predicting Dental Caries in Young Children in Primary Health Care settings. J Dent Res. 2023;102(9):988–98. doi: 10.1177/00220345231173585. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akinkugbe AA. Does the trimester of smoking matter in the association between prenatal smoking and the risk of early childhood caries? Caries Res. 2021;55(2):114–21. doi: 10.1159/000513257. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources