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Open research questions in Dental Health and Care Utilization

1,317 gap statements mined from Dental Health and Care Utilization papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 11,280 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The need to account for both within- and between-study variation in the meta-analysis. The challenge of exploring the sources of heterogeneity through subgroup analyses and meta-regression. The potential for publication bias in the meta-analysis.

    Socioeconomic Inequality and Childhood Dental Caries: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Household Income and Oral Health Outcomes · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the relationship between household income and childhood dental caries. The need to explore the sources of heterogeneity in the study results. The gap in understanding how socioeconomic status affects oral health outcomes in children.

    Socioeconomic Inequality and Childhood Dental Caries: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Household Income and Oral Health Outcomes · 2026 · DOI

  • Current remineralizing agents may not be effective in restoring enamel hardness. There is a lack of research on biomimetic remineralizing systems for demineralized enamel. The effect of Regenerate and Orthocare on artificially demineralized enamel is unknown.

    Effect of two biomimetic remineralizing systems on artificially demineralized enamel: Assessment of mineral recovery and orthodontic bracket bond strength · 2026 · DOI

  • Lack of a validated Turkish version of the CARIES-QC. Limited assessment of the impact of dental caries on children's quality of life in the Turkish population.

    Psychometric validation and reliability of the Turkish version of the caries impacts and experiences questionnaire for children (CARIES-QC) · 2026 · DOI

  • The aetiology of MIH is still unclear. The current study aims to investigate the potential association between reported childhood diseases and medications during early infancy and the later appearance of MIH.

    Are childhood diseases associated with Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization? – Results from an observational study · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies the challenge of limited literacy skills among adults influencing oral health disparities. The shift from a curative to preventive approach in health services poses a challenge for oral health promotion.

    Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on children's oral health. There is a need to assess oral health-related quality of life in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to fill this gap by evaluating the oral health-related quality of life in children during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Children at a Pediatric Emergency Dental Service During the Start of COVID-19 · 2025 · DOI

  • The gap in existing research is the lack of effective communication tools to help families access dental care services. The Childsmile Programme has identified the need for initiatives to encourage attendance at dental practices, but a toolkit like Chatterbox is needed to support this goal.

    A Communication Toolkit to Assist Families Access Dental Care Services in Scotland: A Qualitative Evaluation · 2025 · DOI

  • The study used bovine tooth blocks, which may not perfectly represent human teeth. The study had a limited sample size of 120 tooth blocks. The study only investigated the effectiveness of the nanoHAP dentifrice tablet in preventing tooth demineralization and did not consider other factors such as gingivitis or tooth sensitivity.

    Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Dentifrice Tablet to Prevent Dental Caries: A Microbial Study · 2025 · DOI

  • Future studies are warranted to further investigate the disparities in OHIP_sum scores among different demographic groups. Research is needed to explore the relationship between employment status and OHRQoL. Studies should be conducted to develop interventions to improve OHRQoL in older adults.

    Assessing Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Tennessean Adults · 2025 · DOI

  • One challenge is the lack of clear criteria for selecting and managing oral moisturizers. Another challenge is the degradation of oral moisturizers over time due to oxidation and thermal degradation. A third challenge is the need to balance the lubricating effect of oral moisturizers with the risk of aspiration in older patients.

    Effect of Storage Temperature and Storage Time on the pH and Oxidation–Reduction Potential of Commercial Oral Moisturizers · 2025 · DOI

  • Limited literature exists to guide clinicians in describing patient characteristics associated with inadequate oral health in the geriatric population with dysphagia. Prior studies have found associations between oral health and general health, but more research is needed to understand the relationships between demographic and clinical factors and inadequate oral health.

    Dysphagia and Oral Health in Older Adults: Examining Demographic and Clinical Associations · 2026 · DOI

  • The current understanding of early childhood caries is limited to bacterial-centric models. There is a need to investigate the community-level bacterial-fungal interkingdom interactome and its role in cariogenic microenvironments. The role of fungal networks in driving dysbiosis and cariogenesis is not well understood.

    The Impact of Bacterial–Fungal Interactions on Childhood Caries Pathogenesis · 2025 · DOI

  • Evidence suggests that a low copy number (CN) of the α-amylase 1 gene (AMY1) may reduce the risk of dental caries, although findings remain inconsistent.

    Low AMY1 Gene Copy Numbers in Saliva Are Associated with Reduced Dental Caries Experience in Obese Adults · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research in other contexts and longitudinal studies as well as public health intervention studies are warranted.

    Socioeconomic Disparities in Comorbidity of Dental Caries and Metabolic Syndrome in Norwegian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using HUNT4 Survey Data · 2026 · DOI

  • Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are relevant predictors for poor oral health in adulthood; however, the relationship with untreated dental caries remains unclear, as well as the underlying pathways.

    Adverse Childhood Experiences and Untreated Dental Caries in Adulthood: Exploring Mediation by Educational Level, Depression Symptoms, and Oral Health-Related Behaviors · 2026 · DOI

  • Inadequate oral health is a prevalent problem in the geriatric population, especially in skilled nursing facilities. Limited access to oral healthcare and other structural factors may contribute to disparities in oral health outcomes. The complexity of relationships between demographic and clinical factors and inadequate oral health requires careful analysis and consideration of multiple variables.

    Dysphagia and Oral Health in Older Adults: Examining Demographic and Clinical Associations · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited literacy skills among adults significantly influence oral health disparities.

    Conceptual Knowledge of Oral Health Among Primary School Teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—A Cross Sectional Survey · 2025 · DOI

  • The study had to adapt to the limited availability of dental services during the pandemic. The study had to ensure the validity of the questionnaires completed by children and their parents.

    Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Children at a Pediatric Emergency Dental Service During the Start of COVID-19 · 2025 · DOI

  • Investigate the effectiveness of nanoHAP dentifrice tablets in preventing tooth demineralization in human clinical trials. Compare the effectiveness of nanoHAP dentifrice tablets with other types of toothpastes or oral care products. Investigate the effects of nanoHAP dentifrice tablets on other oral health outcomes such as gingivitis or tooth sensitivity.

    Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Dentifrice Tablet to Prevent Dental Caries: A Microbial Study · 2025 · DOI

  • The study was conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak, which restricted participant involvement. The sample size was limited to 233 participants. The study only included participants from the Tennessee Smile-on program.

    Assessing Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Tennessean Adults · 2025 · DOI

  • Many questions in the original CAMBRA protocol are designed for adults and do not adapt to the characteristics and needs of children. The cost and impracticality of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus cultures.

    Modified CAMBRA Protocol for Caries Risk Assessment in Children Aged 6 to 14 Years · 2025 · DOI

  • The study used a limited sample size of 20 teeth per group, - The study was conducted in a laboratory setting and may not reflect real-world conditions, - The brushing was performed manually by a single operator which may introduce…

    Effect of two biomimetic remineralizing systems on artificially demineralized enamel: Assessment of mineral recovery and orthodontic bracket bond strength · 2026 · DOI

  • Incomplete documentation from referring providers prevented a reliable determination of lesion etiology, prior management, and progression, - Limited access to comprehensive dental histories, - The study did not distinguish between caries-related lesions and molar incisor hypomineralization…

    Assessing Pediatric Endodontic Referrals to University-Based Clinics: A Retrospective Chart Review · 2025 · DOI

  • Improving diagnostic accuracy among primary care dentists, - Emerging technologies such as AI-supported diagnostic tools and teleconsultation platforms could help distinguish between vital and non-vital pulp…

    Assessing Pediatric Endodontic Referrals to University-Based Clinics: A Retrospective Chart Review · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Dental Health and Care Utilization

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the relationship between household income and childhood dental caries (“Socioeconomic Inequality and Childhood Dental Caries: A Global Systematic…”, 2026); (2) There is a lack of research on biomimetic remineralizing systems for demineralized enamel (“Effect of two biomimetic remineralizing systems on artificially demineralized…”, 2026); (3) Prior studies have found associations between oral health and general health, but more research is needed to understand the relationships between demographic and clinical factors and inadequate oral health (“Dysphagia and Oral Health in Older Adults: Examining Demographic and Clinical…”, 2026); (4) Further research in other contexts and longitudinal studies as well as public health intervention studies are warranted (“Socioeconomic Disparities in Comorbidity of Dental Caries and Metabolic…”, 2026); (5) Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are relevant predictors for poor oral health in adulthood; however, the relationship with untreated dental caries remains unclear, as well as the underlying pathways (“Adverse Childhood Experiences and Untreated Dental Caries in Adulthood:…”, 2026). 1,317 gap statements have been mined from Dental Health and Care Utilization papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 11,280 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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