Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Oral Health in Adulthood: A Systematic Scoping Review

Purpose A gap remains in the synthesis of studies focusing on the long-term effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the oral health of individuals. Thus, a systematic scoping review was conducted to examine whether adults who experienced/reported ACEs had worse oral health outcomes than those who did not experience/report ACEs. Methods The search was conducted over 12 months in six databases of peer-reviewed literature (PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO APA, EBSCO CINAHL) and two grey literature databases (MedRxiv, ProQuest). The last search was performed on January 20(th), 2022. A narrative synthesis of quantitative data was performed by oral health-related outcomes identified. Results Nineteen studies were included and nine oral health-related outcomes were identified. The most commonly evaluated ACE was child sexual abuse (68.4% of studies). Associations between exposure to ACEs and any oral health problems, tooth loss, dental pain, periodontal diseases, dental anxiety, and dental hygiene patterns were observed, strongly suggesting that ACEs, mainly child sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and neglect, could have negative effects on oral health in adulthood. Conflicting findings for use of dental services were observed. Associations with burning mouth syndrome and temporomandibular joint disorders were found only in subgroup analysis. Conclusions The findings suggest that ACEs could harm oral health in adulthood. However, associations between ACEs and oral health-related outcomes, confounders, and mediators need further exploration to amplify the knowledge and promote humanized and trauma-informed care at an individual level and proper public health planning.