Barriers to oral health care in children with Down syndrome.

RESEARCH QUESTION: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the barriers to accessing oral healthcare services among children with Down syndrome (DS).

RESEARCH PROTOCOL: The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420250656328). The Population, Exposure/Environment, and Outcome framework was followed for developing the research question.

LITERATURE SEARCH: A comprehensive search strategy using MeSH terms was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO from inception to January 2026.

DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent reviewers screened the studies based on predefined eligibility criteria and extracted data on study characteristics and reported barriers. Discrepancies were resolved through mutual discussion.

QUALITY APPRAISAL: The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was utilized for quality assessment of the included studies.

DATA ANALYSIS AND

RESULTS

A total of 1072 records were identified, of which seven studies met the inclusion criteria. A descriptive and thematic synthesis of included studies was performed.

INTERPRETATIONS OF

RESULTS

Children with DS face multifactorial barriers in accessing oral health care. The findings revealed several challenges to oral healthcare access, including caregiver-related factors, financial constraints, limited availability and accessibility of services, and inadequate professional expertise.