Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to measure the prevalence of dental caries among school children aged 6 - 12 years in the AlSarar Rural Region and describe caries severity and trends.
Methods: Retrospective data were collected from the school dental prevention program implemented in four schools in the AlSarar Rural Region in 2023. The sample included all school children aged 6 - 12 years and utilized the World Health Organization criteria and guidelines on the decayed (D), missing (M), and filled (F) teeth (DMFT) index to measure dental caries prevalence.
Results: The overall prevalence of dental caries was 76.4%, as reflected by the (D) Index. Further, dental caries prevalence was 86.4%, 82.4%, 70%, and 50% for the ages 8, 7, 6, and 12 years, respectively (p-value = 0.005). The severity of caries ranged from 0 to 18 teeth, with a mean of 3.1 ± 2.8. Collectively, DMFT ranged from 0 to 18, with a mean of 3.6 ± 3.0. The highest number of D teeth was reported among children aged 8 years (4.02 ± .27), while the lowest was among children aged 12 years (1.29 ± 1.7) (p-value = 0.001). Female children had a significantly higher number of D teeth compared to males (3.4 ± 2.6 vs. 2.8 ± 2.9; p-value = 0.031). Additionally, females showed significantly higher DMFT scores than males (3.9 ± 2.8 vs. 3.2 ± 3.2; p-value = 0.021).
Conclusion: A high prevalence of dental caries was exhibited comparable to other surveyed Saudi children, with age and gender trends similar to international patterns.

Key words: Dental caries, prevalence, school children, DMFT Index, Saudi Arabia