Effect of Overweight/Obesity on Traumatic Dental Injuries in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Overweight and obesity are growing global pediatric health concerns, but their association with the occurrence of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) is unclear. The aim of this systematic review was to critically appraise evidence on the prevalence of TDIs in children and adolescents according to their weight. Methods: Systematic literature searches without restrictions were undertaken in six databases from inception up to August 2026 for studies reporting on the association between overweight/obesity and TDIs among children. After duplicate study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment with a custom tool based on the Joanna Briggs Institute’s tool for case-control studies, random-effects meta-analyses were performed, followed by subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses. Results: Twenty-six studies covering a total of 23,772 patients (54.5% male; average age 10.1 years) were included. Increased patient weight (overweight/obesity) was significantly associated with higher odds of TDIs in children (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.48; 95% CI 1.22 to 1.80; p < 0.001). TDIs were significantly associated with obesity (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.96; p = 0.01) but not with overweight (OR 1.13; 95% CI 0.79 to 1.62; p = 0.45). No significant effects were seen for age, sex, dentition, confounder adjustment, study design, and study sample size, while differences were seen according to the TDI diagnostic criteria used. The certainty in existing evidence was very low due to methodological limitations of existing studies and between-study heterogeneity. Conclusions: Obesity seems to be associated with increased odds of TDIs in children and adolescents, whereas overweight alone shows no significant association. However, due to the very low certainty in the evidence, these results should be interpreted cautiously and warrant further high-quality research.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2026 · DOI ↗