Prevalence and severity of dental caries among 7–13-year-old schoolchildren in Herat, Afghanistan: a cross-sectional study in 2022

Background and Objective: Dental caries disproportionately affects children in low-income countries like Afghanistan. This study assessed the prevalence, severity, and risk factors of dental caries among schoolchildren in Herat City. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 involving 446 children aged 7–13 years. Data collection included parental questionnaires and clinical oral examinations using WHO criteria. Logistic regression analyzed associations with sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Findings/Result: The overall caries prevalence was 87.2% (95% CI: 83.8%–90.0%), with a mean C-dmft/DMFT score of 3.26 ± 1.86. Restorative care was minimal, with only 3.6% of children having filled teeth. Older age was significantly protective against caries presence (AOR=0.515, p=0.002). No significant associations were found between caries and oral-health behaviors, parental education, or income after adjustment. Conclusion: choolchildren in Herat face an alarmingly high, largely untreated caries burden. Urgent scalable interventions are needed, including school-based prevention programs, fluoride promotion, nutrition education, and expanded access to affordable restorative care to mitigate this public health crisis.