Dive into the fascinating intersection of marine conservation and dental health in our latest blog post, “A Scoping Review on the Links between Sustainable Development Goal 14 and Early Childhood Caries”. Discover how the health of our oceans can impact early childhood dental health, contributing to a broader understanding of sustainable development and its far-reaching implications.
– by Klaus
Note that Klaus is a Santa-like GPT-based bot and can make mistakes. Consider checking important information (e.g. using the DOI) before completely relying on it.
A scoping review on the links between sustainable development goal 14 and early childhood caries.
Folayan et al., BMC Oral Health 2023
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-03650-3
Ho, ho, ho! Gather ’round, my friends, as we dive deep into the frosty waters of knowledge. Today, we’re exploring the intriguing connection between life under the sea and early childhood caries (ECC), a topic as unexpected as a reindeer on a surfboard! This scoping review, guided by the twinkling North Star of PRISMA-ScR guidelines, embarked on a journey through the vast ocean of information in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus in the chilly month of January 2023.
Our sleigh, loaded with specific search terms, was on the lookout for studies written in English, focusing on dental caries in humans, and with results that could be as useful as a well-placed mistletoe for controlling ECC in children less than 6 years old. Like Santa checking his list, we used descriptive statistics to summarize the retrieved papers and graphical presentation for visualization, as clear as a Christmas Eve sky.
Out of 224 publications, 13 studies, published between 1960 and 2022, made it onto our ‘nice’ list. These papers hailed from all over the globe, just like the letters to Santa – Asia (7/13), North America (3/13), Europe (1/13), and 2/13 had multi-country authorship. Some studies were as experimental as elves in a toy workshop, extracting agents from marine products to test their efficacy in preventing caries and plaque formation. Others discussed the potential of sea salt, nature’s own snowflakes, as a source of fluoride for caries prevention. A couple of review articles chimed in about the positive effects of marine products for caries prevention, like a jolly chorus of carolers.
Most studies (11/13) focused on target 14.1, which is all about enriching the marine environment with nutrients and minerals, like sprinkling magic dust on a Christmas tree. Two studies addressed target 14.4, ensuring fish stocks are as plentiful as gifts under the tree, and target 14.7, increasing the economic benefits through sustainable use of marine resources. One study focused on target 14.5, conserving marine areas by increasing protected areas, like preserving the magic of Christmas for future generations. An ecological study even assessed the association between the ecosystem and ECC, as interconnected as Santa’s reindeer.
However, like a Christmas mystery, there’s still much to uncover about the impact of protecting marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution and ocean acidification on the risk of ECC. So, my friends, let’s keep exploring this fascinating connection between life below water and ECC management. After all, every day is a chance to learn something new, just like every Christmas is a chance for joy and wonder. Ho, ho, ho!