Severity of dental caries in relation to family size and other socioeconomic factors among a group of children in Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract EN

Background: Dental caries is the most common childhood disease; its relation to family size was not studied in Iraq, so this study was conducted to assess the severity of dental caries among preschool children and its association with socioeconomic factors, especially family size.

Materials and methods: A sample of 229 children aged five years old was selected randomly from different areas in Baghdad City.

Dental caries for primary teeth was recorded following the WHO criteria.

Results: The mean dmfs of children of clerk mothers was significantly higher than that among children of housewives mothers.

The largest family size had a highest dmfs mean, but there was no significant difference in dmfs mean between different groups.

Negative correlations were found between family size and mother education (r = - 0.428, P< 0.01) also between family size and mother occupation (r = - 0.356, P< 0.01).

There was no significant difference among the mean dmfs of the first, last child and the only one.

Conclusion: These results indicate that the housewives mothers have more time to take care for their children health and the lager family size affected the ability of parent to care of their children.

Keywords: Dental caries, family size, socioeconomic.

(J Bagh Coll Dentistry 2007; 19(1): 88-90).