Food insecurity and oral health: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Objective: to carry out a systematic review of the scientific literature addressing the possible association between food insecurity and oral health. Material and Methods: an electronic search limited to studies conducted with humans was performed in six databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, BBO, Cochrane Library) and IADR abstracts, with no language or publication date restrictions. The search strategy resulted in 614 titles/abstracts. Seven cross-sectional studies were selected from this total. Data extraction and quality assessments were performed independently by two raters using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: the following outcomes were associated with food insecurity dental pain at night or in the previous month, the use of prosthesis, prior experience with restorations and extractions, untreated dental caries and related poor oral health. Two of the four selected papers were conducted by the same group of researchers using the same sample, which may have led to citation bias. The oral status of the individuals was assessed by self-reports rather than clinical examinations in four papers. The studies used between two and eighteen questions to assess FI. The duration of FI was not determined in any study, which makes it more difficult to associate FI with chronic diseases. Conclusion: although the scientific evidence suggests an association between the cumulative history of oral problems (untreated caries, related poor oral health, dental pain, restorations, extractions and use of prosthesis) and FI, there is a lack of prospective cohort studies to support this hypothesis.