Objective: Caries experience and restorative treatment needs often are reported to be higher in urban than rural areas in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to compare caries experience in 12- and 13-year-old children in urban and rural areas of Saudi Arabia, a young, oil-rich, developing country.
Methods: A random sample of 1,873 schoolchildren aged 12-13 years from urban and adjoining rural areas of 10 administrative regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were examined for dental caries. Questionnaires also were administered to elicit information on the frequency of snacking as well as consumption of sweets and soft drinks.
Results: No statistically significant differences were found between urban and rural children in caries experience in permanent teeth (mean DMFT = 2.69 in urban areas; 2.65 in rural areas), frequency of snacking, or frequency of consumption of sweets and soft drinks. The percentage of DMFT found to be D was equally high (> 89%) in both urban and rural areas, indicating a high level of restorative treatment need.
Conclusion: In Saudi Arabia, an economically prosperous developing country, exposure to cariogenic diet in urban and rural areas does not differ. Also, a difference in caries experience in urban and rural areas often reported for developing countries does not apply to Saudi Arabia.