The awareness of parents on the relation of the quality of diet and its effect on the incidence of caries in primary school children in Riyadh

Background and Aim: Dental caries is considered as a multifactorial disease and has been documented to be a major public health challenge in Saudi Arabia. Among the different factors associated with dental caries, the awareness of parents to the role of diet has received relatively little attention. This study was aimed to investigate the association between parents' awareness about the role of the quality of diet as a potential risk factor in causing dental caries in primary school children in Riyadh. Methodology: A total of 103 children (59 boys and 44 girls) aged between 5 and 12 years from different sociodemographic backgrounds in Riyadh region were examined to assess the caries incidence and severity. A validated questionnaire on diet and nutrition was administered to both fathers and mothers of the children examined. The associations between caries incidence, diet scores and sociodemographic variables were examined using logistic regression models while those between caries severity and diet were examined using linear regression models. Results: There was a significant association between diet and both the incidence of dental caries (B=-3.024, p=0.007) as well as severity of dental caries (B=-3.099, p=0.002). Among the sociodemographic variables, family income influenced the incidence (B=-1.204, p=0.011) and severity (B=-1.370, p<0.001). The age of the parents or their education did not have a significant association with the caries incidence or severity. Conclusion: Parental awareness of the diet of their children and their implementation of a healthy diet has a significant negative association with caries incidence and severity.