Table 1 Summary of included articles (n = 5)
From: A scoping review on the association of early childhood caries and maternal gender inequality
Author (Publication year) | Location [12] (GIIa, Rank) | Design | Sample num age | Aim | Data collection | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age | ||||||
 Schüler et al. [20] (2018) | Germany (0.073, 19) | Cross-sectional | N = 128 3–4 years | Assess dental health in primary dentition of preterm infants and investigate mother-and-infant-related risk factors | Dental examinations & questionnaires & medical records | Preterm infants (PTI) whose mothers were > 25 years old at delivery had a lower risk of developing dental caries compared to PTI with younger mothers |
Education | ||||||
 Kato et al. [21] (2017) | Japan (0.083, 22) | Cross-sectional | N = 6,315 3 years | Examine the associations between parental occupations, levels of education, household income and the prevalence of dental caries in children aged 3 years old | Dental records & questionnaires | Compared with less than 13 years of maternal education (20%), mothers with 13–14 years (14%) and 15 or more years of education (12%) were inversely associated with the prevalence of dental caries in children |
 Shen et al. [22] (2020) | China (0.192, 48) | Longitudinal | N = 772 Mean age = 51 months | Assess socioeconomic inequalities in the increment of dental caries and growth among preschool children | Dental examinations & questionnaires | Mother’s education was negatively associated with increments of dmft |
 Sun [23] (2020) | China (0.192, 48) | Cross-sectional | N = 337 24–37 months | Determine if there is an association between postnatal depression and ECC | Dental examinations & questionnaires | A higher education level of mothers was associated with a higher possibility of their children having ECC experience |
 Al-Meedani et al. [24] (2016) | Saudi Arabia (0.247, 59) | Cross-sectional | N = 388 3–5 years | Determine the prevalence of dental caries and the associated social risk factors among preschool children | Dental examinations & questionnaires | Children’s caries prevalence was associated with maternal educational level. Children of mothers with doctorate/master’s degrees had lower caries prevalence (57%) than those with bachelor’s degrees (66%) and high school level or below (78%) |
Employment | ||||||
 Kato et al. [21] (2017) | Japan (0.083, 22) | Cross-sectional | N = 6315 3 years | Examine the associations between parental occupations, levels of education, household income and the prevalence of dental caries | Dental records & Questionnaires | Compared with having an unemployed mother (16%), having a mother who worked in professional and engineering (12%) or service (14%) was significantly inversely associated with the prevalence of dental caries |