Barriers to Dental Care in Individuals with Special Healthcare Needs in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Caregiver’s Perspective

Alfaraj, Amal; Halawany, Hassan Suliman; Al-Hinai, Muntasar T; Al-Badr, Abid Hamoud; Alalshaikh, Marwa; Al‐Khalifa, Khalifa S.

doi:10.2147/ppa.s291255

Cited by 27 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Dental treatments such as dental fillings, crowns, and extraction were provided with a lower rate. These results align with the findings of other studies, in which a lack of dental care is evident among CSHCN [21,22,24,28,29]. Regarding treatment providers, agreeing with previous reports, pediatric dentists are the primary providers of dental care for CSHCN and very few general dentists provide such a treatment [19,20].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Fear of the dentist, child uncooperativeness and accessibility of dental clinics were the main barriers reported. Previous reports agree with this study, demonstrating that the inadequacy of dental care for CSHCN is a major unmet healthcare need [21,22,24,28,29]. Generally, dental care for CSHCN necessitates specialized knowledge, increased awareness and care, adaptation to specific medical conditions, and reconciling procedures outside of the usual routine [1].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Our findings also revealed that families with lower income had greater difficulties, reporting more barriers due to treatment costs, clinic location and transportation more frequently as compared to wealthier families. These trends are well-documented in literature where caregivers' demographics, such as education and socioeconomic levels, played a significant role in hindering dental treatment, both in Saudi Arabia and worldwide [26,28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

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Access to dental care for children with special health care needs: a cross-sectional community survey within Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Zahran

Bhadila

Alasiri

et al. 2022

Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry

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The aim of this study was to investigate the level of dental care access among children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the barriers hindering this access. Data of this cross-sectional study were obtained from self-administered surveys distributed through seven CSHCN centers. Children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and developmental delay were included. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to describe the data. A total of 602 study participants were included in the analyses. Only 24.9% of the participated caregivers routinely visited the dentist for their CSHCN. Half of CSHCN caregivers found difficulties obtaining dental treatment. This trend was significantly greater in 12–18 years old children (p = 0.013) and in families commuting for more than one hour to dental clinics (p = 0.045). The most common reported barrier was fear of the dentist (61.6%) followed by child uncooperativeness (37.8%) and treatment costs (27.8%). CSHCN lack sufficient dental care for a variety of reasons, primarily fear of dentists, child uncooperativeness, and treatment costs. Dentists require more training and education to facilitate better access to dental care for CSHCN.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

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Access to dental care for children with special health care needs: a cross-sectional community survey within Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Zahran

Bhadila

Alasiri

et al. 2022

Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry

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“…This cross-sectional study is a part of a larger study that was conducted between February and April 2019 to investigate the oral health knowledge, barriers to access to care, and general health perception of special needs' caregivers population in Qatif city, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a population of about 524,400 [ 22 , 23 ]. Public schools with integrated special needs education, centers associated with the Ministry of Social Affairs, as well as charity organizations providing support for the care of individuals with special healthcare needs in Qatif were approached for the study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caregivers’ Perception about the Relationship between Oral Health and Overall Health in Individuals with Disability in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alalshaikh

AlSheikh

Alfaraj

et al. 2022

International Journal of Dentistry

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Background. In Saudi Arabia, there are many people with disabilities that do not receive adequate healthcare, especially in the field of dentistry. Objective. This study focused on assessing caregivers’ perception of the relationship between oral healthcare and the overall health status of individuals with special healthcare needs (SHCN) in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. Methodology Design. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire that was divided into two sections. The first part included demographic information such as the age and gender of both the caregiver and the person with a disability and the type of disability. The second part investigated the systemic health of the individual with a disability and the caregivers’ perception of the relationship between the management and treatment of systemic health and oral healthcare in relation to the overall health status. The results of descriptive analyses were summarized using frequency distribution tables. Bivariate analyses (chi-square test) were also performed. Significant differences were considered at a p value of 0.05. Setting. Initiated in school setting. Results. A total of 186 caregivers participated in the study. As much as 83.3% agree that oral health affects overall health, and 48.9% agreed that untreated dental problems could affect cardiac health. Age was the only factor found to be significantly associated with caregiver perception as younger caregivers were more likely to rightly understand the relationship between oral health and general health ( p < 0.05 ). Conclusion. This study has shown the extent to which caregivers of individuals with special care needs to understand the role of oral health in the general health of an individual. Three-quarters of the caregivers agree that dental health affects overall health, and age is a factor that might influence this understanding.

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“…The vast majority of research was carried out on children [11]. Studies have shown that people with special medical care needs may be less likely to access dental care [12] and a recent report has shown that people with Cystic Fibrosis may attend dental practices less frequently than is recommended [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oral Care Considerations for People with Cystic Fibrosis: a cross-sectional study

Coffey

O’Leary

Burke

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Cystic Fibrosis is the most common autosomal recessive genetic condition in the Caucasian population. Oral health in adults with Cystic Fibrosis is an area lacking in research, due to their historic low life expectancy. The age profile of people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is increasing, due in part to improved therapies. Further study is needed in order to ascertain their dental needs and improve provision of care to these medically vulnerable individuals.Methods: A cross sectional survey was carried out. A structured, anonymous online questionnaire, with both quantitative and qualitative aspects, was used to obtain information regarding their feelings towards dentists and dental appointments. The final version of the questionnaire was based on a collaborative effort between researchers at Cork University Dental School and Hospital and Cystic Fibrosis patient advocates from Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. The inclusion criteria were people over the age of 18 years with a diagnosis of CF. Participants were recruited via CF Ireland’s mailing list and social media channels. The quantitative portion of the questionnaire underwent statistical analysis using IBM SPSS. The qualitative portion underwent inductive thematic analysis.Results: A total of 71 adults with CF responded to the survey. 54.9% of respondents were unhappy with their teeth. 63.4% felt that CF had an impact on oral health. 33.8% were anxious about attending their dentist. 54.9% felt that dentists should be part of the multidisciplinary team. Respondents believed that CF has impacted on their oral health due to the medications and dietary requirements involved, as well as tiredness and other side effects of CF. Some reasons for being anxious about attending the dentist involve cross infection concerns, issues with the dentist, with tolerating treatment, and with the teeth themselves. They wanted dentists to be aware of the practicalities of dental treatment for people with CF, especially their discomfort with lying back. They also want the dentist to be aware of the impact that their medication, treatment and diet has on their oral health.Conclusions: Over a third of PWCF reported anxiety about attending the dentist. Reasons for this included fear, embarrassment, cross infection concerns and problems with treatment, especially being in the supine position. PWCF want dentists to be aware of the impact that CF can have upon dental treatment and oral health care.

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Barriers to Dental Care in Individuals with Special Healthcare Needs in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Caregiver’s Perspective

Cited by 27 publications

References 33 publications

Access to dental care for children with special health care needs: a cross-sectional community survey within Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Access to dental care for children with special health care needs: a cross-sectional community survey within Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Caregivers’ Perception about the Relationship between Oral Health and Overall Health in Individuals with Disability in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Oral Care Considerations for People with Cystic Fibrosis: a cross-sectional study

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