Abstract: Journal of Clinical Dentistry and Oral Care

Abstract:
Objective: To evaluate the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and the incidence of dental caries in children and adolescents.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted on studies published in the last 5 years. SCIELO, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were used as information sources, employing the following Boolean operators: children OR adolescents AND ultra-processed foods AND dental caries. The identified articles were screened using RAYYAN. The risk of bias was determined using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) tool.

Results: A total of 199 articles were found, with 191 studies excluded and eight included that met the PICO question requirements. The eight included studies analyzed 9,841 children or adolescents. It was observed that UPF induced an 83% increase in the risk of caries (OR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.34-2.50) in the group.

Conclusions: The consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with a higher risk of dental caries in children and adolescents in the analyzed studies.