Prevalence of Periodontal Diseases in Children and Adolescents in Asian Countries: A Scoping Review

Objectives Extensive research has explored the prevalence of periodontal diseases in adult populations, however there is a paucity of synthesised data focusing on its prevalence among children and adolescents particularly in Asian countries. The objective of this scoping review was to analyse the available literature to evaluate the prevalence of periodontal diseases among children and adolescents in Asian countries. Methods A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and registered with Open Science Framework. Electronic searches of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were carried out to include cross-sectional, cohort studies and national oral health surveys published from 2010 reporting gingival and periodontal outcomes in children and adolescents (≤18 years) residing in Asia. A narrative synthesis of the findings including study information, participants demographics and the prevalence of gingivitis, periodontitis was presented. Results 84 studies from 24 Asian countries were included. “Gingivitis” was the most commonly reported condition, with prevalence ranging from <10% to 100% across studies. “Periodontitis” was less frequently reported but was identified in adolescents in eight studies, with prevalence ranging from 0.7% to 44.5%. Conclusions “Gingivitis” is highly prevalent among children and adolescents in Asia, and if left undiagnosed and untreated, “Periodontitis” may occur in a subset of this population. Periodontal assessment should be incorporated into routine dental assessment of school children for timely prevention. A critical issued in current primary studies is the considerable heterogeneity in methodology (i.e. diagnostic criteria, and indices used) and outcomes reported (i.e. socio-demographics, clinical findings). This should be rectified in future studies. Clinical significance The high prevalence of periodontal disease in children and adolescents of Asian countries highlights the need for periodontal screening to detect reversible gingivitis at early stages and prevent disease progression. Therefore, the inclusion of periodontal assessment into routine oral health check-ups is required.