The relationship between erosion, caries and rampant caries and dietary habits in preschool children in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Summary.Objectives.The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between dental erosion and caries, and variables including socio‐economic status, reported dietary practices and oral hygiene behaviour, in a sample of children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A cross‐sectional study including dental examination and questionnaire survey was carried out at a number of kindergartens.Sample and methods.A sample of 987 children (2–5‐year‐olds) was drawn from 17 kindergartens. Clinical examinations were carried out under standardized conditions by a trained and calibrated examiner (MAM). Information regarding diet and socio‐economic factors was drawn from questionnaires distributed to the parents through the schools. These were completed before the dental examination.Results.Of the 987 children, 309 (31%) showed signs of erosion. Caries were diagnosed in 720 (73%) of the children and rampant caries in 336 (34%). Vitamin C supplements, frequent consumption of carbonated drinks and the drinking of fruit syrup from a feeding bottle at bed‐ or nap‐time when the child was a baby, were all related to erosion. Consumption of carbonated drinks and fruit syrups was also related to caries but they were part of a larger number of significant factors including socio‐demographic measures and oral hygiene practices.Conclusions.There was no clear relationship between erosion and social class, or between erosion and oral hygiene practices; the reverse was true for caries. Dietary factors relating to both erosion and caries and/or rampant caries were found in this sample of children.