ObjectivesTo investigate the prevalence of dental caries among twelve-year-old children and its correlation with the behavior of sugary food intake in Jiangxi province, so as to provide epidemiological evidence for the prevention of dental caries in Jiangxi province.MethodsA stratified, multistage and cluster sampling method was used to randomly select 2040 cases of twelve-year-old children in 10 counties in Jiangxi province. Clinical examination of dental health was performed on children to diagnose dental caries, and questionnaires were used to investigate the intake of sugary food. Chi-square test, rank sum test, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.ResultsThe caries prevalence among the 2040 cases of twelve-year-old children in Jiangxi province was 24.40%. The prevalence of caries in the rural areas was higher than that of urban areas (27.8% vs. 20.9%, P<0.05). The prevalence of caries in females was higher than that in males (28.70% vs. 20.10%, P<0.001). The DMFT of urban children was lower than that of rural children (0.39 vs. 0.55, P<0.001). According to logistic regression analysis, the risk of caries among children in Ganzhou was lower than that in Jiujiang (OR=0.629, 95%CI 0.448 to 0.883, P=0.007); the caries risk of rural children was higher than that of urban (OR=1.471, 95%CI 1.196 to 1.810, P<0.001); compared with males, females were more susceptible to dental caries (OR=1.588, 95%CI 1.291 to 1.954, P<0.001), and the caries risk increased with the frequency of eating dessert.ConclusionsThe prevalence of dental caries among twelve-year-old children in Jiangxi province is such that children in rural areas are higher than that of urban areas, females are higher than males, individuals who consume more sweet desserts and sweet drinks are more likely to develop dental caries. Focusing on rural areas and women, reducing the frequency of sweet desserts and sweet drinks, and strengthening the management of Jiujiang as a key area is of considerable significance in preventing childhood dental caries.