Objectives: To assess the prevalence of gingival and periodontal diseases among Indian children and adolescents under 18 years of age. Methods: A PROSPERO-registered systematic review was conducted using multiple electronic databases and grey literature sources. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were independently performed using Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools. Results: Fifty-four studies were included. Gingivitis prevalence ranged from 27.3% to 99.6% (median 59%), while periodontitis ranged from 0.4% to 50% (median 3%). Community Periodontal Index and OHI-S were the most frequently used assessment tools. Considerable methodological heterogeneity and risk of bias were observed. Conclusions: Gingival and periodontal diseases are highly prevalent among Indian children, particularly adolescents and rural populations, indicating the need for strengthened preventive public health strategies.
Devi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.