The Burden and Care of Dental Caries in Low-Income ECOWAS Member States
Résumé fourni par la source
Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases worldwide, affecting approximately 2.3 billion people and nearly 30% of the global population. It is understood to be mainly caused by complex shifts in the oral microbiome (ecological imbalance), a change from eubiosis to dysbiosis and influenced by many factors such as behavioral, dietary, systemic, and local factors, which all lead to the demineralization of enamel, progressing to cavitation if untreated. This causes pain, impact quality of life, and results in tooth loss. Despite global positive strides in oral health care, dental caries still affects many adults, school children and individuals with low socioeconomic status including school children. Therefore, the burden of dental caries goes beyond oral health, placing a strain on healthcare systems and national economies. Hence, the World Health Organization (WHO), in response, prioritized oral health as part of its global health agenda toward universal health coverage by 2030. While many developed (high-income) institutions have protocols to avert potentially serious morbidity or mortality across their populations, the exact burden of care in low-income ECOWAS member states; including, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Niger, Togo and Mali is still unclear. There is limited understanding of the shared challenges faced by regional geographic nations within West-African low-income states. Therefore, a synthesis of the available evidence is essential to identify gaps in prevention, workforce capacity, access to care, and health policy, while informing future research and guiding national, sub-regional and regional oral health strategies. Accordingly, this scoping review aims to map and provide a narrative synthesis on the current evidence of the burden and care of dental caries across Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger and Togo.
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