Dental Caries Status of Children and Adolescents in West Africa-A Literature Review

Objectives: Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases worldwide, including in Africa. The aim of this article was to provide a comprehensive review of dental caries status of children and adolescents living in the West African region. Methods: Articles that fulfilled the study selection criteria were identified through systematic search in electronic databases (EMBASE and MEDLINE). Titles and abstracts were examined manually to screen for articles that study the caries prevalence and experience of children under the age of 18, and only English publications published from the years 2015 to 2024 were included. Publications that include participants with special healthcare needs were excluded. Relevant data related to caries prevalence and severity of participants below 18 were extracted with a standardized spreadsheet. Results: Out of 1288 studies, a total of 18 studies were included. Among the 16 countries in West Africa, only 3 countries (19%) including Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal met the inclusion criteria, with a majority (15/18, 78.9%) focusing on Nigerian children and adolescents. The dmft scores of the included studies ranged from 0.06 to 3.04, and the DMFT scores ranged from 0.02 to 2.65. It is worth noting that dmft/DMFT scores across different countries were collected with a high heterogeneity in study design, and were thereby not directly comparable. Conclusions: The majority of the included studies were conducted in Nigeria. There are significant variations in caries prevalence and caries experience among children and adolescent in West Africa. Further research on oral health surveillance in West Africa is needed.