Socioeconomic Inequality and Caries

Dental caries is the most prevalent disease worldwide, with the majority of caries lesions being concentrated in few, often disadvantaged social groups. We aimed to systematically assess current evidence for the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and caries. We included studies investigating the association between social position (determined by own or parental educational or occupational background, or income) and caries prevalence, experience, or incidence. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies. Reported differences between the lowest and highest SEP were assessed and data not missing at random imputed. Random-effects inverse-generic meta-analyses…