Prevalence and Risk Factor of Diaper Dermatitis among Saudi Children

Background: Diaper dermatitis (DD), commonly known as diaper rash is an inflammatory disease of the skin of diaper wearing area. It is usually seen in children belowss 24 months and is not considered by doctors as a serious problem. However, it often causes discomfort and apprehension among parents. Methods: A cross-sectional study performed through patient questionnaires. A total of 1344 patients were included in the study. A pilot was done to test the validity and reliability of developed questionnaire and also to calculate the minimum sample size for our study. By considering the values derived from the pilot study done among 50 parents of children aged 1-24 months who used diapers. A standardized methodology was followed in the validation of this questionnaire that included focus group discussion, expert evaluation, pilot study, reliability and validity assessment etc. Three experts in the field of medicine (dermatologist, pediatrician, and internist) and one biostatistician were involved in the validation of our questionnaire. Result: In our study majority of the participants were females (87.3%), and 55.3% belonged to the 20-25 years age group. The fixed orthodontic related history showed 59.8% had undergone the treatment for 1 to 3 years and 31.6% of the participants reported that they had removed the fixed braces for more than five years. Among these participants, 89.5% (n=34) reported that the fascia (space) closed between the upper frontal teeth after Frenectomy, and 65.8% (n=25) agreed that spaced between the two upper front teeth still closed after removing the retainer. Conclusion: The reported prevalence of diaper dermatitis in our study was found to more in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There is huge anxiety created among parents, and this would result in increased pediatric consultations.