SynthesisCaries research2025
Are Area-Level Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Dental Caries and Tooth Loss? A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Caries research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trends in Socioeconomic Inequalities of Dental Caries Experience among 12-Year-Olds in Chile: An Ecological Cohort Study.Caries research · 2026Article
- Municipal wealth and tooth extractions in the Unified Health System: limits to changing the healthcare model.Revista de saude publica · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionArea-level socioeconomic factors are within the social determinants of health, encompassing conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, which influence health beyond individual characteristics. This review examined the association between area-level socioeconomic factors and dental caries and tooth loss. The hypothesis was that individuals residing in more socioeconomically deprived areas experience higher odds of dental caries and tooth loss, independent of individual socioeconomic status.
methodsA systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science. Studies reporting clinical or self-reported dental caries or tooth loss and evaluating area-level socioeconomic deprivation or income (neighbourhood, municipality, or region) using multilevel models were included.
resultsOf 4,671 screened records, 44 studies (41 cross-sectional) published from 2006 to 2024 were included. The most common exposures were area socioeconomic deprivation indices (n = 24), area average income (n = 21), and the Human Development Index (HDI) (n = 13). Quantitative synthesis was precluded by heterogeneity of aggregation levels, outcomes (tooth loss, caries experience, and untreated caries), and outcome measurement (dichotomous/continuous). Most studies adjusted for individual-level socioeconomic factors (82%). The hypothesised association was most consistent for tooth loss (e.g., functional dentition or edentulism, 6/6 studies), at a medium level of aggregation (13/15), and for the HDI (10/13). Studies using ordered categories frequently demonstrated clear socioeconomic gradients.
conclusionThe findings support the hypothesis that residing in more affluent areas is associated with better oral health outcomes, specifically lower levels of tooth loss and, to a lesser extent, dental caries, after adjusting for individual-level socioeconomic factors.
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