{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,27]],"date-time":"2026-02-27T04:19:19Z","timestamp":1772165959753,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]],"date-time":"2025-07-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752537600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]],"date-time":"2025-07-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752537600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009367","name":"Mansoura University","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009367","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Oral Health"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Understanding factors influencing dental service utilization and dental caries assists dental professionals in addressing challenges within their field.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Assess the prevalence of dental caries, the actual pattern of dental service utilization, and factors affecting them, such as parents\u2019 1dental fear, demographic, and socio-demographic variables among primary school children.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This cross-sectional study included 1075 participants aged 6 to 12 years old, recruited from primary schools in Mansoura city, Egypt. This study was carried out in two stages; first, a well-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic variables and parental fear. Second, clinical examination was performed to measure dental caries according to the World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria and to record the dental services utilized. A multi-stage cluster random sampling technique was used to select the study sample. Data was analyzed statistically using regression analysis, Chi-square, and Fisher\u2019s exact tests.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The prevalence of dental caries was higher in primary teeth than in permanent teeth (59.3% vs. 35.8%). Likewise, a higher percentage of children had fillings in their primary dentition (14.1%) than in their permanent dentition (5.1%). 6\u20138 yearss age, of 6\u20138 years, significantly impacted dental caries prevalence and service utilization. Being in private schools significantly reduced dental caries in both types of dentitions (DMFT: Regression Coefficient (B) =-0.160, P-value (P)\u2009=\u20090.032), (deft: B=-0.459,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.007). Children whose fathers had a higher educational level demonstrated lower dental caries scores in both dentitions (DMFT: B=-0.300,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.023), (deft: B= -0.429,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.035). A higher utilization rate of dental services was noted among children from families with higher incomes (Odds Ratio (OR)\u2009=\u20092.607,\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.006). Parental fear was significantly correlated to an increased dental caries prevalence and reduced preventive services (\n                      <jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009\u2264\u20090.05).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Despite the relatively high prevalence of dental caries among study participants, the utilization of dental services was low. Age, number of children, and parental-related factors were predictors of caries prevalence and dental service utilization. This underscores the importance of implementing nationwide educational initiatives aimed at schoolchildren\u2019s parents to improve their understanding of accessible dental care options.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Clinical trial number<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Not applicable.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12903-025-06414-3","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]],"date-time":"2025-07-15T11:28:40Z","timestamp":1752578920000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Dental caries and actual utilization of dental services among primary school children in Egypt: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Mariam Osman","family":"Mohamed","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Basman Elsayed","family":"Hamza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rabaa Mahmoud","family":"Aboubakr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nasr Mohamed","family":"Attia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,15]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"6414_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"219","DOI":"10.1038\/sj.bdj.4801338","volume":"192","author":"M Tickle","year":"2002","unstructured":"Tickle M, Milsom K, King D, Kearney-Mitchell P, Blinkhorn A. 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All methods were carried out under all relevant guidelines and regulations and the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation in this study was completely voluntary. Before collecting data, A written informed consent to participate was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all participants under the age of 16. Furthermore, verbal approval was obtained from the children after explaining the study\u2019s goals and procedures in a manner suitable for their age. They were aware that their participation in the study was optional and that they could leave without facing any consequences.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"1163"}}