Potential risk factors associated with dental caries among Libyan children

Aims: To investigate any association between the experience of dental caries and its potential risk factors in Libyan schoolchildren and to investigate any gender differences for these factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among schoolchildren in Benghazi. A random sample of 8-10-year-old children underwent dental examination. Data on dietary habits, oral hygiene practices, parents’ educational levels were obtained by a survey. Dental caries was assessed using WHO recommendations. The data were entered and managed by using SPSS software version 25.

Results: For the whole sample (372) caries prevalence was 86.6%. The experience of caries increased with increasing the frequency of sugared dietary items consumption. This was not statistically significant association. Of the sample; 37.9% who had experience of caries consumed sugared dietary items with frequency of twice per day, 28.0% with frequency once per day, and 18.0% with frequency of two or three times per week. The experience of caries decreased with increasing the frequency of tooth brushing; 21.90% of the subjects with caries reported frequency of tooth brushing of two or more per day, 32.30% with frequency of once per day. Girls reported a higher frequency of tooth brushing than boys. The experience of caries decreased with parents’ increasing educational level.

Conclusions: The present findings have important implications for public health strategy and further studies. More research is also necessary to explore the effectiveness of various interventions whether diet or oral hygiene practice or parents’ educational levels in experience of caries in children from different social and cultural backgrounds.