Oral health practices and dietary habits of intermediate school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Salwa A. Al-Sadhan, BDS, MSc Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, P.O.Box 60169, Riyadh 11545, KSAThe objective of this study was to evaluate the oral health practices and dietary habits of intermediate school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to assess the relationship of these habits to age, gender, type of school and educational level of the mothers. Two intermediate public schools, one for boys and one for girls, were selected randomly from each of the five educational zones of Riyadh, in addition to two private schools giving a total of twelve schools. Data were collected from the students using a multiplechoice self-administered questionnaire. A total of 1150 students completed the questionnaire. Data analysis showed that nearly 65% of the students cleaned their teeth at least once a day. Only 5.1% used the dental floss. Over 65% of the students consumed sweetened products at least once a day. Using Chi-square test, females were found to practice oral hygiene habits more than their male counterparts ( < 0.0001). Private schools students practiced oral health care behavior more than public school students ( < 0.0001). Age was inversely related to the oral hygiene habits ( < 0.0001). The mothers' educational level was found to be directly related to the oral hygiene habits and inversely related to the dietary habits ( < 0.0001). The consumption of sweetened items was found to be quite high among the surveyed sample and differed among the different age groups, gender and type of school. It can be concluded from this study that there was a generally low interest in dental health care and preventive measures among intermediate school children in Riyadh and that this may constitute a major challenge to oral health