The prevalence of caries and of tooth tissue loss in a group of children living in a social welfare institute in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the prevalence of caries, rampant caries and erosion in a group of 4-5-year-old children living in an institution in the city of Jeddah in the West Province of Saudi Arabia.


METHODS
Descriptive, cross sectional.


METHODS
A total of 80 children (51 boys, 29 girls) living in the Institute were examined visually for caries using BASCD criteria. Erosion of palatal and buccal surfaces of maxillary incisors was scored: 0 (no erosion), 1 (erosion into enamel), 2 (erosion into dentine) and 3 (erosion involving the pulp).


RESULTS
Twenty-four of the Children (30 per cent) had caries and two had rampant caries. Mean dmft was 0.95 (+/- 2.03) and mean dmfs was 3.2 (+/- 6.51). These values are lower than other estimates for children of this age in Saudi Arabia. Ten children (12.5 per cent) had erosion affecting buccal or palatal surfaces of their maxillary incisor teeth. In seven, erosion was confined to enamel but in three it extended into dentine.


CONCLUSIONS
The lower caries levels seen in this group of children may be at least partly attributable to the effectiveness of strict dietary control and regular oral hygiene measures.
Eastman Dental Institute, Transcultural Oral Health Department, 256 Grays Inn Road, London, WCIX 8LD, UK.
M
M
Al-Malik
R D
RD
Holt
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019372:Orphanages; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000453:epidemiology*