Dental Caries and Actual Utilization of Dental Services Among Primary School Children in Egypt: A Cross-Sectional study

Background Understanding factors influencing dental service utilization and dental caries assists dental professionals in addressing challenges within their field. Objectives Assess the prevelance of dental caries, the actual pattern of dental service utilization and factors affect them such as ( parent’ dental fear, demographic and socio demographic variables) among primary school children. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out in two stages; first a well-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic variables and parental fear. Second, a clinical examination was performed to record dental caries prevalence (by DMFT and deft indices) according to WHO diagnostic criteria and the utilized dental services. A multi-stage cluster random sampling technique was used to withdraw the study sample. Data was analyzed statistically using regression analysis, Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact tests. Results The prevalence of dental caries was higher in primary teeth than in permanent teeth (59.3% vs. 35.8%). Likewise, a higher percentage of children had fillings in their primary dentition (14.1%) than in their permanent dentition (5.1%). The child's age: of 6–8 years significantly impacted dental caries prevalence and service utilization. Being in private schools significantly reduced dental caries in both types of dentitions (DMFT: B=-0.160, P = 0.032), (deft: B=-0.459, P = 0.007). Children whose father's had a higher educational level demonstrated lower dental caries scores in both dentitions (DMFT: B=-0.300, P = 0,023), (deft: B= -0.429, P = 0.035). A higher utilization rate of dental services was noted among children from families with higher incomes (OR = 2.607, P = 0.006). Parental fear was significantly correlated to an increased dental caries prevalence and reduced preventive services (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion Despite the relatively high prevalence of dental caries among study participants, the utilization of dental services was low. Age, number of children, and parental-related factors were predictors of caries prevalence and dental service utilization. This underscores the importance of implementing nationwide educational initiatives aimed at schoolchildren's parents to improve their understanding of accessible dental care options.