VOLUME 9 , ISSUE 3 ( March, 2008 ) > List of Articles
Amjad H. Wyne
Citation Information : Wyne AH. Caries Prevalence, Severity, and Pattern in Preschool Children. J Contemp Dent Pract 2008; 9 (3):24-31.
DOI: 10.5005/jcdp-9-3-24
License: CC BY-NC 3.0
Published Online: 01-09-2009
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2008; The Author(s).
To determine caries prevalence, severity, and pattern in preschool children of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 789 randomly selected preschool children, 379 (48%) male and 410 (52%) female, with mean age of 4.7 (SD 0.5) years were examined for dental caries using World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria. The overall caries prevalence among the sample was 74.8%. The mean decayed, missing, and filled (dmft) score was 6.1 (SD 3.9) with a decay component of 4.66, a missing component of 0.54, and a filled component of 0.92. There was no significant difference ( Caries prevalence and severity are very high in the study population, and most children have posterior tooth caries. Early measures such as fissure sealants, topical fluoride applications (as early as safely possible), and dietary fluoride supplements (where indicated) are needed to prevent caries of deciduous molars in high caries populations. Wyne AH. Caries Prevalence, Severity, and Pattern in Preschool Children. J Contemp Dent Pract 2008 March; (9)3:024-031.