Prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia

Background: Dental caries is common among children, however, there is limited data on its prevalence among schoolchildren in the rural areas of Saudi Arabia. Aim: To determine the prevalence of dental caries and its association with selected demographic factors among schoolchildren in rural areas of Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. Methods: We extracted dental clinic data of 2864 schoolchildren aged 6-17 years for January 2021 to June 2022, from the electronic medical records of selected rural public hospitals and primary health centres in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. We analysed the data using SPSS version 26 and used chi-square tests and logistic regression to analyse the associations with sex, age and schooling level. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of all the 2864 schoolchildren, 13.9% (95% confidence interval: 12.6-15.1) had dental caries. Prevalence was higher among males (22.4%) than females (10.3%) (P < 0.001) and was more common among high school students (20.0%) than among elementary (12.9%) and intermediate (10.3%) school students. Conclusion: Our findings have important implications for oral health policy, prevention and research in Saudi Arabia. The high prevalence indicates a high burden of dental caries among rural populations in the country and the need for stronger and more extensive preventive interventions, including school-based education and early screening for children.