Abstract: Objective To describe the caries status and associated factors in 5 and 12 years old children in Jiangsu Province and to provide evidence for health service of caries prevention．Methods Referring to WHO' s “Oral Health Surveys Basic Methods ” ( Fourth Edition ) and protocols of the fourth national survey, the method of multistage , stratified , equal capacity , simple random sampling were used to draw a sample of 1419 cases in 12 survey spots in Jiangsu Province，among which 441 5-year-old cases and 978 12-year-old cases respectively. Results The primary tooth caries prevalence in 5-year-old was 71.4 % and the mean dmft was 4.05. There was no difference between boys and girls or cities and rural areas ( P >0. 1). The filling percentage of deciduous teeth was only 2.6%. High-fluoride region, the frequency of sweet drinks and having sweet foods before sleep were associated with the primary tooth caries . The permanent tooth caries prevalence in 12-year-old was 33.8% and the mean dmft was 0.60. There was a great significant difference between boys and girls in the proportion of dental caries or in DMFT( P <0 . 05). The filling percentage of permanent teeth was 15.1%. Gender, the frequency of sweet cakes or s and interval of visiting the dentist were associated with the permanent tooth caries .Conclusions The prevalence of children in Jiangsu Province is still high. High-risk groups should be focused on to prevent and control the risk factors of caries, strengthen the oral health education and finally draw up personalized solutions for Jiangsu province.

Key words: primary tooth , permanent tooth, caries , oral epidemiology , associated factors