Evaluation of Unmet Restorative Treatment Needs among Pediatric Patients of King Faisal University Dental Clinics, Saudi Arabia

AIM: To evaluate unmet restorative treatment needs (URTN) among the children visiting Dental Clinics Complex (DCC), King Faisal University in Al Ahsa region of Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 332 children, 3–13 years old. All the children were grouped based on dentition and gender. Details of patient history, clinical examination, radiographs, and the proposed treatment plan was accessed from Titanium patient management software to assess URTN. RESULT: Only 37 children (11.14%) reported to be caries free while the remaining 295 children (88.16%) had one or more carious teeth which needed treatment. Unmet restorative treatment needs were higher for restorable teeth and stainless steel (SS) crown in deciduous dentition group while mixed dentition group showed higher URTN for unrestorable teeth, missing tooth due to caries, filled tooth with caries, remaining root and space maintenance. Based on gender, URTN like restorable teeth and filled tooth with caries were more among girls while missing tooth due to caries and SS crown were more among boys. CONCLUSION: Majority of the children had untreated carious teeth. Children in the mixed dentition group showed higher URTN. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: More emphasis on addressing URTN is needed. Improving dental healthcare services to meet the oral healthcare needs, eventually promotes overall quality of life of an individual. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Alfayz SY, Alabdulsalam M, Alabdulathim A, et al. Evaluation of Unmet Restorative Treatment Needs among Pediatric Patients of King Faisal University Dental Clinics, Saudi Arabia. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(3):366-370.