Effect of sleep on development of early childhood caries: a systematic review.

Abstract

<h4>Purpose</h4>To investigate the impact of sleep on the development of early childhood caries (ECC).<h4>Methods</h4>Seven electronic databases and grey literature were searched with various keyword combinations. Two reviewers independently selected studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The studies were included if they evaluated the impact of sleep parameters on the caries experience or severity of ECC in children under 6 years of age.<h4>Results</h4>Four cross-sectional studies and two longitudinal studies were included. Children who had irregular bedtimes had a 66-71% higher chance of developing ECC. Children who slept after 11 pm might have a 74-85% higher chance of developing ECC. Children who slept less than 8 h during the night had a 30% increased risk of caries than children who slept more than 11 h.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Irregular or late bedtime and fewer sleeping hours could be an independent risk factor for ECC. The risk of ECC might be related inversely in a dose-response manner to the number of sleep hours.