Dental Caries and Its Association with Diet among Female Primary School Children in Riyadh City

The purpose of the present study was to determine dental caries experience of 8-10-year-old schoolgirls in Riyadh city, and to assess the relationship between dental caries & dietary practices. This cross sectional study involved 522 third and fourth grade primary school girls attending 24 primary schools (12 public and 12 private) in Riyadh city. The selected girls were examined at schools by two calibrated examiners who were trained & calibrated prior to the study using the WHO criteria for the diagnosis of dental caries. Each selected schoolgirl was interviewed after the parents completed a 3-day dietary diary. Of the 522 schoolgirls examined, four hundred and fifty girls (86.2%) had dental caries, and only 72 (13.8%) were caries free. The mean dmft was 4.96 (±3.03) for the primary teeth, with more than half (51.7%) of the girls with caries had 5-8 decayed primary teeth. Only one-third of the carious primary teeth had restorations. The mean DMFT of the permanent molars was 2.44(±1.69). More than three-quarter (76.4%) of schoolgirls had dental caries in one or more of the permanent molars. Almost two thirds (59.2%) of the girls with caries had 3 to 4 of the permanent molars affected by caries. Out of the 399 schoolgirls who had one or more decayed permanent molar, only 41(10.3%) had a restoration in one or more of their permanent molars. The 3-day dietary diary showed that the majority of schoolgirls in this study consume sugar on moderate to high frequency basis. More than one-fourth (27.4%) of the sample brushed their teeth daily. About one-third of schoolgirls (N=161; 30.8%) did not visit a dentist at all. In conclusion; the dental caries prevalence was high in schoolgirls aged 8-10 years in Riyadh city. The dental caries was found to be associated with frequency of sugar consumption.