Teeth problems affect primary school children physically and psychologically and it harms their
general health, nutrition, growth, and body weight. Also, it causes learning problems, affecting their
academic performance and absence from school. Aim: To measure the effect of teeth problems on
school absenteeism and academic achievement among primary school children. Materials and
methods: Design: A descriptive cross-sectional correlational research design was used. Sample:
included 576 primary school children who were selected randomly from two primary schools in
Sohag city. Tools: A structured interview questionnaire was completed by the parents included five
parts regarding 1) demographic characteristics of parents, 2) demographic characteristics of
children; 3) question related to school absenteeism, 4) question related to school academic
achievement, 5) question regarding homework completion, and The Decayed, Missing, Filled
(DMF) index was used to collect data. Results: There was a significant relationship between school
absenteeism and DMFT score (P = 0.001). There was a significant relation between school
academic achievement in academic year subjects and DMFT score (P = 0.007). There was a
significant relationship between homework completion and DMFT score (P = 0.002). Conclusion:
Teeth problems had a bad effect on absenteeism and academic achievement among primary school
children. Recommendation: Establishing a health education program for parents about their
children's teeth problems and frequent periodic teeth checkup is required.