Wael A. Sabbah, BDS, DDPH, MSc
Barry L. Stewart, BDSc, LDS, MDSc, FRACDS
Gifty B. Owusu-Agyakwa, BSc, DDS, MSc
North West Armed Forces Hospitals, Department of Dental Services, P.O. Box 100, Tabuk, KSA

The purpose of this study was to measure prevalence of dental caries and identify risk factors among 1-5 year-old Saudi children served by the Northwest Armed Forces Hospitals.  A sample of 574 children was selected to participate in the study.  Five dental therapists and two hygienists were trained and assessed for inter-examiner reliability using the World Health Organization criteria for diagnosis of caries.  Parents completed a questionnaire on relevant socio-economic and behavioural factors.  The prevalence of dental caries was 26.5%.  Males were slightly more affected than females, but the difference was not statistically significant.  Income, parents' education, frequency of eating candies, sweetened beverages, perceived importance of oral health and child's general health were significantly associated with the disease.  In the Logistic Regression analysis, eating candies, perceived importance of oral health, and mothers' education were independently associated with the disease.  The determinants of dental caries in Saudi children were generally similar to those reported in other countries.  The lack of association with bottle-feeding and breast-feeding may be attributed to the late deciduous teeth eruption observed in this region.  The overall results of the study indicated that mothers' education was the most important determinant of early childhood caries and supported implementation of health promotion strategies that target new and expectant mothers.