Prevalence of Dental Caries and Associated Etiological Factors among Children Aged 3-12 Years

Auteurs-es

  • Nadia Azzam Al-Shareeda Department of Pedodontics, Orthodontics and Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, University of Basrah
  • Hiyam S. Ahmed
  • Shams Kadhum Mohammed

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.5195/d3000.2026.1607

Mots-clés :

Brushing Frequency, Childhood Caries, Education Level

Résumé

Dental caries is a chronic disease of the tooth that may cause pain and discomfort and may impair the ability to eat properly. There are numerousdistinct reasons that might induce dental caries. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of dental caries (DMFT index) and its determining variables among children attending the school dental clinics in Basrah city, Iraq. The cross-sectional investigation was carried out in Pediatric Dentistry Clinics, College of Dentistry, University of Basra. The sample included 230 children aged 3 to 12 years old who attended the clinics in the study period. All clinical examinations were done by the same calibrated examiner using a standard dental operatory light, sterile mouth mirrors, and followingthe guidelines set out by the World Health Organization (WHO). The oral health was evaluated using two different indices, the dmft index of deciduous teeth and the DMFT index of permanent teeth. Data were input and analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics program. The data revealed that the prevalence of dental caries was 47% with the highest prevalence in children aged 6–8 years (64%) and the lowest prevalence in children aged 9–12years (23.2%). There was a slight fall in caries incidence in women compared to men. Highest prevalence of caries (60%) was found in children whoseparents had unspecified educational background and lowest prevalence (41.7%) in children whose parents completed secondary education. Childrenwho consumed sugar more than twice a day also had the greatest incidence (66.7%). This study's findings highlight the need for preventative programs in schools, parent education on oral health, dietary recommendations, and frequent dental screenings to lower the prevalence of dental caries in Iraqi children of school age.

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Publié-e

2026-09-22

Numéro

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026)

Rubrique

Adults & the Elderly

Licence

© Nadia Azzam Al-Shareeda, Hiyam S. Ahmed, Shams Kadhum Mohammed 2026

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