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Article analysis:

The article is generally reliable and trustworthy as it is based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing research on the topic, which provides an objective overview of the current state of knowledge on this subject. The authors have conducted a thorough search of six electronic databases to identify relevant studies, complemented by manual searching of reference lists and grey literature to ensure that all relevant sources are considered. Furthermore, two independent reviewers performed selection of articles, data extraction and evaluation of risks of bias through an assessment of methodological quality to ensure accuracy and objectivity in their findings.

However, there are some potential biases that should be noted when interpreting the results from this study. Firstly, only four cross-sectional studies were included in the qualitative systematic review out of 2644 initially identified studies; thus, it is possible that other relevant studies may have been overlooked or excluded due to certain criteria used by the authors during selection process. Secondly, only three studies were included in the meta-analysis due to lack of sufficient data from other studies; thus, it is possible that these results may not be representative or generalizable to all adolescents with malocclusion or dental caries. Finally, there is no discussion about potential confounding factors such as diet or oral hygiene habits which could influence both malocclusion and dental caries; thus, further research should explore these factors in order to gain a better understanding of their impact on this association.