Caries in preschool children in Amman, Jordan and the relationship to socio-demographic factors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and severity of caries in children attending kindergartens in Amman and the relationship between caries experience and socio-demographic factors including age, social class based on the father's occupation, the level of mother's education and the fee level of the kindergarten attended.

DESIGN: Cross sectional survey including a dental examination of the child and a questionnaire completed by the parents.

SETTING: Kindergarten schools in Amman.

PARTICIPANTS: 1,140 children including 569 4-year-olds and 571 5-year-olds.

RESULTS: Prevalence of caries in 4 year olds was 62% and in 5 year olds it was 73%. The dmft values were 3.1 and 4.1 in 4 and 5 year olds respectively. Lower caries prevalence was recorded for children of families where the father had a non-manual occupation, those whose mothers had higher levels of educational attainment and for children attending kindergartens with higher tuition fees.

CONCLUSION: Caries prevalence and severity in children attending kindergarten schools in Amman are similar to those seen in studies of children of the same age in Saudi Arabia and higher than those in children in westernised countries such as the UK. As in other countries, caries experience in young children in Amman is clearly related to social factors. Findings illustrate the need for effective oral health promotion accessible to all social groups in this middle eastern capital. Fee scale of the schools appears to be an effective measure to use in designing appropriate strategies.