Oral and perioral disease prevalence among fishermen — systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Fishermen face challenges that increase their vulnerability to oral and perioral diseases due to demanding working conditions, excessive environmental exposure and limited access to health care. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to map and synthesize the available evidence on the prevalence of oral and perioral diseases among fishermen. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An extensive literature search was conducted in September 2024, including electronic databases, grey literature, and manual searches, without date or language restrictions, to identify observational studies evaluating the prevalence of oral and perioral diseases among fishermen. The risk of bias was assessed using the JBI critical appraisal checklist for studies reporting prevalence data. Meta- analyses were conducted to combine prevalence data from the included studies. The GRADE approach assessed the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: Thirteen analytical cross-sectional studies, involving 4,546 fishermen, of moderate methodological quality were found. The meta-analysis showed that the overall prevalence of oral and perioral diseases was around 49% (95% CI: 27-72%; 4,546 participants; low-quality evidence). Considering the most common diseases reported, the pooled prevalence of dental caries was 84%, leukoplakia 26%, and actinic cheilitis 35%. The most frequent risk factors identified as associated were smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and poor oral hygiene. CONCLUSIONS: These findings should be recognized as a public health concern and addressed through preventive and informational policies in fishing communities and related organizations. Further studies using more reliable methods, larger sample sizes, and adequate management of confounding factors are necessary to confirm these findings.