Prevalence of dental caries, severity, and pattern in age 6 to 7-year-old children in a selected community in Saudi Arabia.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, severity, and pattern of dental caries in 6 to 7-year-old children in military primary schools in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A random sample of 300 children (6 to 7-year-olds) was drawn from six schools of military dependents. Clinical examinations were carried out under standardized conditions by two trained and calibrated examiners (MAM) and (YR). Caries were diagnosed using the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry (BASCD) criteria. RESULTS: Caries were diagnosed in 288 (96%) of the children, and only 4% were clinically caries free. Mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) for the 300 children was 8.06 (+ 4.04) per child and mean decayed, missing, and filled surfaces (dmfs) was 23.18 (+ 15.64). The teeth most affected by caries were mandibular primary second molars (83.35%), and the least affected were mandibular primary central incisors (1.15%). CONCLUSIONS: The level of caries was higher than seen in children of equivalent age in other studies. The level of caries is expected to increase in permanent dentition. The above findings stress the need for an effective program of oral prevention in these children, such as a school dental health education program for children and their parents in order to improve their oral health status.

Comprehensive dental care of pediatric patients treated under general anesthesia in a hospital setting in Saudi Arabia.

The aims of this study were to determine the characteristics of patients and type of dental treatment carried out using dental general anesthesia (DGA) during two years in a following three year period. A total of 182 patients received treatment between 1999 and 2001. The mean age was 4.9 years. The main indication for DGA was behavior management problems. Complete oral rehabilitation including complex restorative treatment and extractions was provided under DGA at a single visit. Failure to return for recalls was common; 83% of patients returned for the post-operative recall but only 26% after a three year period. Most of the patients requiring further treatment accepted it in the dental chair. Only one patient received a second DGA during the three years following treatment.