Prevalence of dental caries among children in public schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Dental caries is a chronic disease that affects children globally. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and distribution of dental caries among public school children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, stratified according to sex and school level. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study used a stratified random sampling method and included 8215 schoolchildren from 66 public schools. Oral examinations were conducted to assess oral hygiene, gingivitis prevalence, urgency for dental care, care index and dental caries experience using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (dmft/DMFT) index. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test for categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests for non-normally distributed continuous variables. Results: The overall prevalence of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth was 91.2%, with 86.1% of schoolchildren having untreated decay, particularly elementary schoolchildren (87.1%; p < 0.0001). The mean dmft index was significantly higher in females (4.22 ± 4.00) than in males (4.02 ± 3.89)(p = 0.04). However, the mean DMFT index did not differ significantly between sexes (p = 0.7). Conclusions: Despite advancements in dental care, dental caries remains a significant public health concern among schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia. Targeted public health interventions are crucial to address this ongoing problem.