Abstract
Background and Aim: Dental caries is a preventable disease; however, public health efforts are hampered due to limited information on associated factors in vulnerable populations. Our study aimed at estimating and assessing dental caries prevalence and experience and identifying key risk factors in association with oral health practices and dietary habits among primary school children living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: 355 male and female Saudi primary school children aged 6-9 years participated in this cross-sectional study. The study was conducted using a 31-item self-administered questionnaire followed by oral examination to assess the caries experience. SPSS software version 22 was used for data analysis. Results: The severity of caries prevalence was different depending on the type of teeth whether deciduous or permanent. For deciduous teeth 52.1% had caries, while permanent teeth had 82.5%. All in all, the DMFT score was 1.19 +/- 1.43 and the def was 3.74 +/- 1.43. Multiple individual factors were significant particularly when are compared to caries seen in deciduous teeth. Conclusion: Dental caries were more prevalent in primary school children, and individual factors were predominantly associated with the disease.