Prevalence and severity of dental caries among public school students aged 16-l8 in Hai’l, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and severity of dental caries among school students aged 16-18 in Ha'il urban city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS This cross-sectional study randomly selected 480 students from eight secondary schools in Ha'il urban city from September to October 2015. Three calibrated examiners used the decayed, missing and filled teeth index (DMFT), based on the World Health Organization criteria, to examine the students. Data analyses were subsequently performed. RESULTS The overall prevalence of dental caries in secondary school students in Ha'il city was 78.9% (n = 379). The mean DMFT value was 3.49 ± 2.78, the decayed component was 2.68 ± 2.21, the missing component was 0.10 ± 0.34, and the filled component was 0.71 ± 1.09. CONCLUSION The results of this study provide evidence of a high prevalence of caries in students aged 16-18 years in Ha'il city, KSA. Thus, the oral health of adolescents should receive more consideration in Saudi Arabia.