title: Dental health status and caries pattern of preschool children in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to assess dental caries and its relation to plaque, tooth brushing habit and past dental attendance, and to determine the caries pattern in primary dentition of preschool children.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and three, 5-year-old children, from preschool nurseries in Al-Kharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were studied in 1994. The World Health Organization criteria was used to determine caries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 16.5% were caries free. The mean decayed missing filled teeth (dmft) was 7.1, and by excluding caries free children it was 8.5. The decay component of dmft was predominant (82%). Almost 90% of the children had plaque present on their teeth and one-third never brushed their teeth while two-thirds had never been to a dentist. All children who never brushed their teeth had plaque and caries. Molars were the teeth, which were most frequently carious, and caries among all teeth was always bilateral.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was high prevalence of untreated caries and high dental needs with concomitant poor dental health among these preschool children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental, Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. tahirpaul2000@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Tahir R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class