Caries Experience among Children with History of Neonatal Stunting

The Efficacy of Silver Diamine Fluoride as a Caries Preventive Agent on Permanent Teeth: A Scoping Review

Dental caries is a chronic condition that affects people of all ages and has a high prevalence in Indonesia. Applying silver diamine fluoride (SDF) as a topical fluoridation agent is one of the approaches to prevent bacterial interactions that lead to the development of carious lesions. This study aims to determine the efficacy of SDF as a caries preventive agent on permanent teeth. Article searches were conducted using the keywords "silver diamine fluoride" AND "permanent tooth OR permanent teeth" AND "caries OR dental caries" AND "remineralize" through digital databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Articles with randomized controlled trial or nonrandomized controlled trial designs, articles written in Indonesian or English, publications published within the last 5 years (2016-2021), and aligned with the PCC (population, concept, and context) framework were included. Articles that were not accessible in full text or in a paid format, those that were of the meta-analysis or systematic review study type, and those that did not evaluate the use of SDF as a caries preventive agent were excluded from consideration. This scoping review refers to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extensions for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A total of 8 articles were reviewed, encompassing various locations, designs, and samples, which demonstrated the use of SDF resulted in a high percentage of fluoride release with a high degree of remineralization efficacy. The deposition of crystals or minerals into fissures and crevices caused by demineralization indicated a reduction in lesion depth and influenced the microhardness of enamel. SDF can stimulate the rehardening of tooth structures rich in calcium and phosphate. The solution of SDF has the potential to serve as an alternative substance for preventing caries in permanent teeth because it enhances mineral precipitation and mineral density, promotes the remineralization of hydroxyapatite in enamel by increasing fluoride, and increases tooth structure resistance to acid attack.

A Review on Maternal Parenting, Child's Growth Stunting, and Oral Health

Stunting has gained global attention as one of the most critical problems in public health. As the first and dominant figure in a child's life, the mother is responsible for determining the proper parenting behaviors to apply to maintain the child's physical health. Stunting is often associated with early childhood caries (ECC) and molar incisor hypomineralization, which can be manifested into each other through various mechanisms. Therefore, it is crucial to explore how far maternal parenting behaviors affect stunting and oral health. This study aims to determine which maternal parenting behaviors can affect stunting and oral health. A systematic search was used through PubMed and Google Scholar to search for published articles between 2011 and 2021. The articles analyze maternal parenting behaviors with stunting and poor oral health. Final analysis was used on 21 articles containing 18 cross-sectional studies, 2 cohort studies, and 1 randomized controlled trial. The result implied that the high prevalence of stunting and ECC is the combined result of prolonged breastfeeding practices (7 articles), poor complementary feeding practice (6 articles), high consumption of sugar (5 articles), and poor oral hygiene practices (5 articles). Maternal parenting styles in the aspect of fulfilling nutrition and maintaining oral health affect the occurrence of stunting and ECC in children.

The bi-directional relationship between growth stunting and early childhood caries: a rapid review

Objective

This review aims to determine the two-way relationship between stunting and ECC in developing countries worldwide.

Methods

The procedure in this study was carried out using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-Rapid Review protocol. Article searches were carried out using databases Cochrane and PubMed. In addition, searches were also carried out using backward and forward snowballing techniques to identify articles that were not detected through database searches.

Results

Nine observational epidemiological articles were found in children aged six months to six years, published in 2015-2020. Five articles discussed the features of ECC in stunted children, and the other five discussed stunting in children with caries in their primary teeth.

Conclusion

Several studies found associations between severe ECC and stunting, with ECC and stunting as both independent and dependent variables, suggesting a bi-directional relationship, also supported by literature on the physiological relationship between oral health and nutrition.