The Pattern of Dental Care Utilization Among Saudi School Children

Aboubakr, Rabaa M.; Elkwatehy, Wahdan M.A.

doi:10.21608/adjg.2021.60122.1337

The Pattern of Dental Care Utilization Among Saudi School Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Associate Professor of Dental Public Health and Preventive Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Egypt.

10.21608/adjg.2021.60122.1337

Abstract

Purpose: The current study was established to evaluate the utilization and determine types of dental services provided to Saudi school children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Al Riyadh city, a sample of 5050 Saudi children of both genders with age range 6 - 9 years old was included. Dental caries was recorded according to WHO diagnostic criteria. Decayed, filled and missed teeth due to caries were recorded using dmft index, existing stainless-steel crowns and fissure sealants were recorded. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 74.9% with caries experience of 3.22 ± 3.25 & 26.1% of the participants had pit and fissure sealant and 22.8% had stainless-steel crown. The care index was 37.4% for all children (34.7% for male and 38.6% for female), the restorative index was 44.2% (41.4% for male and 45.4% for female), the unmet treatment need index was 55.8% (58.6% for male and 54.6% for female). Conclusion: caries prevalence and severity were decreased significantly compared to previous studies but still higher than the target established by the WHO. The utilization of dental care still less than average especially among governmental school children.

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