comparison of child dental health in villages and towns of Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

The objectives of the present study were to determine the magnitude of child dental health problems in Al Hassa and to study geographical and sex variation of such problems. A Cross-sectional study was done in Al Hassa using multistage random sample technique. Out of 33 primary schools, 3732 children with mean age of 10.6 [1.5 SD] years were examined. Dental decay, filled and missed teeth were found in 76.2 percent, 4.3 percent and 3.1 percent of the children, respectively. DM FT index [decayed, missed and filled teeth] was 2.96 and restorative treatment need was very high [98 percent]. Periodontal disease was found in 45.3 percent of the children, oral manifestation fluorosis were found in 32.7 percent and malocclusion problems were found in 9.2 percent of the children, Studying geographical and sex variations showed that dental caries and fluorosis were significantly higher in villages than in towns [P<0.01], while periodontal disease and malocclusion were more prevalent among children living in towns,but the difference was not statistically significant [p>0.05].In general the prevalence of the four dental problems were higher among boys than girls. A combined approach of treatment and effective public health preventive program is recommended for proper management of dental problems in Al Hassa