The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different socio-demographic factors of Saudi parents on their knowledge and attitudes toward their children's first dental visit. For this purpose, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 909 Saudi parents attending the dental clinic of the College of Dentistry at King Saud University, Riyadh. Results showed none of the factors studied have an affect on the parents’ knowledge about the timing of the first dental visit (X²test, P > 0.05). Significant differences were observed when the factors were tested on parents’ attitudes toward behavior modification and management during the first dental visit (P0.05). However, significant differences were observed with the parents’ ages and the number of children (P = 0.027 and 0.009 respectively). The majority of parents responded they would still visit the dentist after the treatment of the chief complaint. Based on the results, it can be concluded that Saudi parents lack sufficient knowledge about the timing of the first dental visit and the importance of behavior modification for their children.Citation: Al-Shalan TA. Factors Affecting Saudi Parents’ Perception of their Children's First Dental Visit. J Contemp Dent Pract 2003 November;(4)4:054-066.

Previous animal and laboratory studies have shown the possible cariostatic effect of iron. The purpose of this study was to in vitro study the effect of different concentrations of four iron supplements on the initiation of dental caries. Four products of iron supplements were used namely fre-in-sol, ferotonic, feromin and ferose. Two hundred extracted teeth were distributed randomly into 10 groups. Eight groups were from the four iron products in two concentrations (100% and 50%) in addition to the positive and negative control groups. Mutans streptococci bacteria (6715) grown in Todd Hewitt Broth were used. Assessment of decalcification and cavitation was done daily for 60 days. It showed that different iron - supplement products play cariostatic effect in the initiation of the dental caries. With the exception of 100% and 50% ferose, both 100% and 50% concentrations of all supplements have cariostatic effect. The mean dates for decalcification varied with lowest for the positive control (12.2 days) and the highest was for 50% feromin. Cavitation was seen in the positive control and 100% ferose groups with mean on the first day of cavitation of 57 days. It was concluded that iron may have cariostatic effect on the in vitro development of dental caries in human teeth.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to evaluate parents9 awareness about the timing of the first dental visit for their children, the parents9 attitude toward behavior modification for their children at the first dental visit, and to determine the main reasons for bringing the child to the dentist in the first visit among the Saudi parents attending the dental school at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 12 items was distributed to any adult patient reporting at the Registration Appointments and Records Division of King Saud University, College of Dentistry, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during the year 2001. The questionnaire response rate was 96.5%. RESULTS: Some parents reported that their child9s first dental visit should be in the 3rd year (42%) while others thought it should be in the 6th year (34.4%). Seventy-three percent of the parents prefer behavior modification during the first dental visit. Regular visit (40.3%) and emergencies (28.1%) were the main reasons to bring the children to the dentist. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that there is a relatively low level of parents9 knowledge about the timing of a child9s first dental visit. The dental profession and pediatricians have major responsibilities to change this concept.

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of pulpotomy done in primary molars under different treatment settings, namely: Basic Behavior Guidance (BBG), Oral Sedation (OS) and General Anesthesia (GA). Methods: In this is retrospective study, dental records of 79 pediatric dental patients treated in university dental hospital between March 2019 to January 2022 were reviewed. Data collected include: (1) age at the time of receiving the treatment, (2) age at the recall visit, (3) gender, and (4) type of clinical setting when providing the dental treatment (BBG, OS, or GA). A total of 154 primary molars received pulpotomy procedure. Recall visits include clinical and radiographic examination. Results: Clinically, six teeth in the BBG group exfoliated. SSC was lost in all groups, but no significant difference was found (P= 0.236). For the percussion and palpation responses, no significant differences were found between the three groups (p= 0.245 and 0.395 respectively). Radiographic findings showed no significant difference between the three groups when roots and pulp canals and bone resorption were examined (p= 0.313 and 0.193 respectively). Signiant differences were found when dentinal bridge formation was assessed (p=0.003). When the quality of the pulpotomy, success of the SSC, and the success of the pulpotomy were compared, no significant differences were found (P>0.05). Conclusions: No significant differences were found between the three groups when the pulpotomy outcomes were assessed. This retrospective study highlights the effect of treatment settings. Future prospective study is recommended.