Table 1.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
| Category | Inclusion Criteria | Exclusion Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Publication Date | Published in between 01/01/2000 to 30/09/2024 without restrictions for language | Published before 01/01/2000 or after 30/09/2024 |
| Study Design | Studies reporting association analyses using one or more of following socioeconomic variables (family income, parental education level, parental occupational level, household assets, annual household consumption expenditures and SES index) | Studies not reporting association analyses using one or more of following socioeconomic variables (family income, parental education level, parental occupational level, household assets, annual household consumption expenditures and SES index) |
| Population | Studies investigating only children and adolescents | Studies that included particularly vulnerable or special subpopulations (socioeconomic displacement due to conflicts, strong cultural influences, and ecological influences); Children with specific conditions (e.g. Allergies, cancer, diabetes etc.); have a mental health issue; and have impairments (e.g., visual, audio, and motor) |
| Analysis Type | Studies reporting crude or adjusted analysis | Qualitative studies, descriptive studies |
| Study Quality | Published in peer-reviewed journals | Conference proceedings, book chapters, grey literature |
| Representation of population | Studies based on whole population data or samples representative of whole populations | Studies not representative of whole population |
| Outcome Measures | Studies that use reliable or validated measures for SES or related outcomes of dental service use | Studies that do not use reliable or validated measures for SES or related outcomes of dental service use and with significant missing data |
The methodology for this literature was informed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The PECO question (P = Population; E = Exposure; C =Comparison; O = Outcome) was defined in this study as follows: P - Children and Adolescents, E - SES, C - Different SES groups, and O - Dental service utilization