The Medical Journal of Basrah University

Abstract

ABSTRACT
This paper reports the results of a survey carried out in 27 primary schools covering 1580 children randomly drawn from
these schools. The aim was to determine the prevalence rate of dental carries among these children. On the basis of
examination, children were classified into those with dental carries (regardless of the number of teeth involved) and
those without dental caries. The prevalence rate was 41.2% with significantly higher rate among boys (44.9%) as
compared to girls (37.6%). The prevalence rate tended to decrease with increasing age and was much related to the lack
of dental hygiene as indicated by the habit of tooth brushing.