The dental health of 5 year-old children living in Damascus, Syria.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to record the dental health of 5 year old Syrian children attending nursery schools in Damascus City and to compare the dmft data with reported parental behaviors in relation to oral health. METHODS: Dental examination criteria were based on those published by WHO. A questionnaire was distributed to the parents of the child participants, which recorded, social information and oral health practices. Chi square tests and multiple logistic regressions were used to determine risk factors for dental caries. RESULTS: The mean dmft was 3.27 (sd 3.71) and 61% of the sample had caries present. Children with poor oral hygiene (p < 0.0001) and not attending a dental clinic for preventive advice (p = 0.001) were at risk for having caries regardless of all variables included in analysis. CONCLUSION: A high proportion of 5 year-olds suffer from dental caries and population based preventive programs should be implemented.