BackgroundDental caries is a preventable childhood disease, but public health efforts are hampered due to limited information on associated factors in vulnerable populations. Our study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of dental caries and identifying key associated factors in four major risk domains, including socioeconomic factors, child oral health behavior and practices, child feeding practices, and dietary habits among primary school children in Saudi Arabia.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was used to recruit 578 male Saudi primary school children, aged 6–8 years, from 12 primary schools in five different regions of Riyadh. Children were clinically screened to detect carious lesions in primary teeth according to World Health Organization’s criteria. Structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on social and individual factors from the parents. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of associated factors for dental caries were computed using logistic regression models; key factors were identified by systematic selection process that accounted for multicollinearity and bias correction.ResultsDental caries was prevalent among children (83%, 95% confidence interval 79.7–86.0%). Individual factors, including irregular brushing, late adoption of brushing habit, consulting dentist for symptomatic treatment, lack of breast feeding, sleeping with a bottle in mouth, habit of snacking between meals, low consumption of fruits, and frequent consumption of soft drinks and flavored milk, were predominantly associated with dental caries in children, instead of socioeconomic factors (p < 0.05, adjusted R-square 80%).ConclusionDental caries were prevalent in school children, and individual factors were predominantly associated with the disease.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12199-018-0750-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

With the increasing prevalence rates of periodontitis cases, it has a great impact on human health, especially elderly patients. It constitutes a major health problem that can cause significant burdens. Infections are the main pathology that have been previously reported among studies in the literature because it has a strong correlation. There are common mechanisms that can cause systemic diseases: induction of systemic inflammation, inflammatory markers, the release of toxins, and translocation into other organs through the bloodstream. Proving the correlation between the potential presence of the involved pathogen and systemic diseases might be a significant key factor in predicting these systemic events. In addition, it will assist to have proper management in early intervention. The aim of the study was to provide more insight into the effect of correlation between periodontitis and other systemic diseases according to studies in the literature. Multiple organisms that can cause periodontitis have been significantly correlated with the development of many systemic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease (CAD), pneumonia, respiratory tract infections, oral and colorectal cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, Porphyromonas gingivalis has been commonly reported with the variously discussed systemic diseases which should draw more attention towards the proper management and prevent this organism and other microbes within the literature to enhance the outcomes.