Dental pain experience and impact on children in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study assessed dental pain experience during four weeks previous to the study, its aetiology and impact on grade 3 Saudi Elementary school children and their families. Three hundred and nine students were randomly selected and asked about their dental pain experience. Those who reported having pain during these four weeks, completed an interview questionnaire related to the severity, duration and impact of pain, and were clinically examined to determine the cause. Chi-square and the Odds ratio tests were used to assess relationship between the two genders and the different variables included in the questionnaire. Approximately 67% of the total sample reported a previous history of dental pain, and 40% had pain within the last month prior to the interview. Among those reporting dental pain within the last month 82% of the pain was due to pathological reasons. Dental pain prevented approximately 60%, 42%, 43% and 27%of the students, respectively, from eating, playing, sleeping and going to school. Also, 15.6% of guardians had to leave their work place to take children to the dentist. Only 43.3% reported seeing a dentist for this dental problem, while 17.2% said they had never visited a dental clinic. The results of the study indicated a very high prevalence of dental pain compared to that reported in other studies. Dental pain clearly affected the quality of the children's lives and had an impact on families and the society as a whole.