Treatment needs for dental caries in schoolchildren in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A follow up study of the oral health survey

OBJECTIVE: To determine the magnitude and severity of treatment needs for dental caries of school children of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), 14 years after the conduct of the Oral Health Survey (Phase I) (OHS (I)) in KSA.

METHODS: Six hundred and two primary school first graders (primary school (PS)) (5-8 year-old) and 205 intermediate school first graders (intermediate school (IS)) (11-14 year-old) children were randomly selected, using stratified cluster random sampling, from schools of Riyadh, KSA during April 2001 to May 2001. All the children were examined for caries and treatment needs, using the World Health Organization criteria.

RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of PS children required some type of restoration and 36.7% needed extractions. Ninety-five percent of IS children required restorations and approximately one-quarter were needed extractions. Amongst male PS children approximately 7 teeth needed one or more surface fillings, whereas 6 teeth of female PS children needed the same. Of the male IS children, 6.5 teeth needed one or more surface fillings, whereas 4 teeth of female IS children needed the same. These differences were all statistically significant. On average, one tooth of male children needed extraction, whereas approximately 0.7 teeth of female children needed the same. The difference was also significant. There were significant differences between urban and rural children for various types of treatment needs. However, nationality of the children did not show any significant effects on treatment needs.

CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the treatment needs for dental caries have increased in schoolchildren of Riyadh significantly 14 years after the conduct of OHS (I).