A Systematic Review to Inform the Development of a Population-Based Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Adult Caries Risk Assessment Tool
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Abstract
Aim: To evaluate the caries risk factors in adults and identify critical predictors for developing an artificial intelligence-assisted caries risk assessment tool for population-based screening. Design: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Data Sources: A comprehensive search was performed across PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus. The search was conducted on the following dates: Google Scholar (28 November 2023), PubMed (28 November 2023), Scopus (19 September 2023), and Web of Science (25 November 2023). Review Methods: This review included longitudinal studies that examined caries risk factors in adults. The studies were assessed using the ROBINS-E and GRADE tools, with eligibility determined by two independent reviewers. Results: A total of 60,042 records were screened, resulting in 12 longitudinal cohort studies that met the inclusion criteria. These studies identified eight significant risk factors for caries: smoking, systemic disease, water fluoridation, education level, fluoride toothpaste use, sugar intake, bacterial plaque, and history of caries. Quality assessments of the studies revealed that two were classified as high quality, eight as moderate quality, and two as limited quality. Conclusion: This review identifies essential caries risk factors that can guide the development of effective AI-assisted tools for assessing adult caries risk, thereby enhancing implementation and scalability.
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