Objectives: To determine the association between socio­economic indicators and caries status of the school children, in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross­sectional descriptive study was conducted among 433 randomly selected school children from Riyadh city. Socioeconomic statuswas assessed through interviewing the children using a structured, close­ended questionnaire. Caries status was assessed by using the DMFT (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Tooth) index. All the responses obtained from questionnaire were coded and analyzed. Means and standard deviations were computed for the DMFT score. One­way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and Tukey’s multiple comparison tests were performed to determine significant differences between mean DMFT scores and socio­economic variables. Results: Children showed an overall mean DMFT score of 5.04 ±0.32. The socioeconomic indicators such asoccupational status of the mother (p<0.001), education level of the mother(p = 0.001) and father (p=0.014), type of accommodation (p = 0.002), presence of domestic help at home (p<0.001),number of siblings (p=0.003) and family income (p<0.001) were found to be associated with the DMFT scores of the children. Conclusion: Study is suggestive of clear association between socioeconomic status of the children’s family and their caries status. Several socio­economic indicators have been implicated in the association of dental caries status of the children.

Keywords: Association; DMFT Index; Education; Income; Father; Mother; Occupation; Socio­Economic Status.