الفهرس 
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Abstract
Introduction: Dental decay is the most common childhood disease worldwide; most of decay remains untreated particularly in developing countries affecting the growth
and wellbeing of millions of children. Purpose of this study is to assess the effect of
dental caries on the growth of first and second grade primary school children.
Subjects & Method: Design: descriptive cross sectional study design was used to
fulfill the aim of the study. Sample: systematic random sample of 400 students from
different primary school, 1st and 2nd grade were selected. Setting: this study was
conducted in primary school in Samannoud distrect. Tools for data collection: 1) an
interviewing questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data, assess
knowledge, attitude and practice of children regarding dental care. 2) Biophysiological
measurements were used to assess body growth; children’s height,
weight & body mass index. The main results: revealed that: the majority 80% of the
studied sample reported that they have dental caries. Regarding student’s knowledge
about proper use of tooth brush, 61.3% of children with no dental caries answer
correctly, compared to 23,8 % of children with dental caries. Also half of studied
children who have dental caries did not use tooth brush correctly. Children growth
illustrates a statistical significant difference in BMI of children with caries was 17.36
± 2.46 whereas for children without caries 21.63 ± 2.85 . Conclusion: the body
weight, height, and body mass index of the studied primary school children with
caries were less than with no dental caries. Recommendations: 1. Screenings of
school children for early detection of children with dental caries and treating them..
2. Heath education about oral hygiene to prevent dental caries. 3. An effective school
health program could be the most cost effective investments for improving education
and oral health.