Prevalence of dental caries and associated factors among primary school children: a population-based cross-sectional study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

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.

Tobacco exposure as a major modifier of oncologic outcomes in human papillomavirus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

“…Studies of Veterans with HPV+ OPSCC have quantified tobacco exposure as high as 150 PY [ 8 ]. Although smoking rates have decreased over the last two decades, evidence suggests that tobacco exposure remains a significant consideration for OPSCC patients throughout the United States and varies widely based on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic strata [ 3 , 9 ].…”

Correlation of Feeding Practices and Dental Caries among Preschool Children of Jazan, KSA: A Cross-sectional Study

“… 9 Unfortunately, knowledge gaps concerning the availability of baseline data on oral health and population-specific key modifiable factors for dental caries restrict the ability of many developing nations and semi-developed countries, including Saudi Arabia, to achieve the goals set by WHO. 10 Most importantly, caries affecting deciduous tooth is known as early childhood caries (ECC). This is one of the major concerning factors regarding the oral health of growing kids.…”

“…Pediatric dentistry organizations, such as the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and the Japanese Society of Paediatric Dentistry, referred to breastfeeding as a potential risk for ECC in their policy statements. 9 , 10 Whereas, reviews of epidemiological studies have found the relationship between breastfeeding and ECC to be inconclusive. 11 , 12 A few studies suggest that breastfeeding may promote dental caries 13 – 15 while other studies have not found any association.…”

Tobacco exposure as a major modifier of oncologic outcomes in Human PapillomaVirus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

“…8 Although smoking rates have decreased over the last 2 decades, evidence suggests that tobacco exposure remains a signi cant consideration for OPSCC patients throughout the United States and varies widely based on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic strata. 3,9 The recent changes to the AJCC staging system for OPSCC make urgent the need to better de ne the potential impact of tobacco exposure on clinical outcomes for HPV+ OPSCC patients to appropriately counsel patients. Furthermore, given continued efforts at treatment de-escalation for HPV+ OPSCC tumors, it is critical to determine whether a subset of patients may be at risk for inappropriate deescalation.…”