Children’s ages and reasons for receiving their first dental visit in a Saudi community

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies conducted in different parts of the world have revealed the postponement of first dental visits and an increased prevalence of early childhood caries in general populations in developed and developing countries. This study aimed to assess the average age of and most common reasons for first dental visits in children attending governmental and private dental clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively from the dental records of new pediatric patients attending a governmental institute (College of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, King Saud University) and a private clinic (the investigator’s private practice) in Riyadh. Only children attending their first dental visits with no previous dental experience were included in the study. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation analysis, and chi-squared test were done. The significance level was set at P ⩽ 0.05. RESULTS: Initial dental visitation occurred at 1–3 years in 32.2% of children, 3–5 years in 52.9% of children, at >5 years in 14% of children. Pain was the dominant reason (71.5%) for first dental visits. Dental check-up was the main reason for 27.3% of dental visits, and fluoride application was the main reason for 20.5% of visits. Emergency cases accounted for 44.7% of first dental visits during the study period. Most (68%) children were medically fit, and 67.2% behaved positively during their first dental procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Parental compliance with the standard age for initial dental visitation recommended by the major dental academies is lacking.