RESUMO
The objective of this study was to evaluate the caries prevalence, severity and pattern in female schoolchildren in Dhahran and Al-Khobar [Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia]. The study included 472 female schoolchildren from public schools and 667 female schoolchildren from private schools in Dhahran and Al-Khobar. All the participating students were clinically examined for dental caries, filled and missing teeth. The total number of female students examined in the study was 895; 472 from public schools and 423 from private schools. The overall caries prevalence was 80.73 % with a mean DMFT score of 4.4+/- 3.9. For public schools, the caries prevalence was 93.05% with a mean DMFT score of 7.87+/- 3.77, while for private schools, the prevalence of dental caries was 68.39% with a mean DMFT score of 2.31+/- 2.62. The results showed that prevalence of dental caries was 87.5%, 92.6% and 99.4% respectively in grade I, VII and X female schoolchildren from public schools. The mean caries scores were 5.94 +/- 4.14, 4.39 +/- 2.83 and 9.13+/- 4.34 respectively in grade I, VII and X public female schoolchildren. In private schools, the prevalence of dental caries was 62.3% for grade I, 70.27% for grade VII and 72.62% for grade X schoolchildren. The mean caries scores were 2.26+/-2.78, 2.12+/-2.39, and 2.54+/-2.69 respectively. The prevalence and severity of dental caries was found to be higher in public schools as compared to the private schools. It can be concluded that caries prevalence and se-verity were very high among female schoolchildren in Dhahran and Al-Khobar regions. The overall caries experience was higher in schoolchildren from public schools as compared to the private schools