PREVALENCE OF DENTAL CARIES AMONG CHILDREN IN JEDDAH - SAUDI ARABIA -2015

Background: Dental caries is the most prevalent chronic disease in early childhood in most communities worldwide. To ensure the oral health of a population, clinicians must deliver appropriate dental services, and local communities need to have access to dental care facilities. However, establishment of this infrastructure must be based on reliable information regarding disease prevalence and severity in the target population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia from December 2014 to April 2015. A total of 2113 children aged 12 - 14 were randomly selected from 16 schools located in different geographic areas. Three calibrated examiners using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria to diagnose dental caries performed the clinical examinations. Data analyses were subsequently conducted. Conclusion: Results indicated that dental caries prevalence among school children in Saudi Arabia has reached critical levels (89.2%) and is influenced by socio-demographic factors. Overall 15.6% of the examined children had ECC and 73.6% had severe ECC The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth values obtained in this study were the second highest detected in the Eastern Mediterranean region.