Factors associated with a late visit to dentists by children: A cross-sectional community-based study in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives This cross-sectional study aims to determine children's age at their first visit to dentists and factors associated with these visits. Methods This cross-sectional community survey-based study was conducted in 2019 during the events of the 10th Gulf Oral Health Week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All participants including visitors and dentists, with current or previous experience in caring for children aged six months to ten years, provided their consents for the study. Results Among the visitors, 348 participated in the survey. Most children, aged three to ten years, first visited the dentist with complaints of pain and dental cavities. The risk of a late visit to the dentist increased (OR: 2.28; CI 95%: 1.01–5.14) among caregivers who did not help their children brush their teeth. Using the Internet for accessing health information negatively impacted the visits (OR: 27.00; CI 95% 1.26–57.35). While employed mothers took their children to the dentist at an earlier age (OR: 2.284; CI 95% 1.08–4.79), early visits were mostly missed by mothers with smaller families (OR: 0.043; CI 95% 0.48–0.98). Conclusion The results of our study show that the caregiver's attitude, source of health information, employment, age, and number of children are risk factors associated with late visits to dentists.

Socio‐behavioural determinants associated with the first dental visit in Saudi children: A cross‐sectional study

“…Other KSA regions have reported FDVs between the ages of 3 and 6 years. 11,17 The differences in FDVs between the KSA regions may arise from a lack of awareness of the optimal age for a child's FDVs, lack of information on preventive oral healthcare services offered during the FDV and fear of dental procedures. In this study, most children's FDV involved dental pain.…”

“…Children from other regions of the KSA and worldwide have similar reasons for their FDV. 11,17,[19][20][21] In this study, only 6.2% of children had their FDV under 1 year of age. A similar finding was observed in various regions of the KSA.…”

“…Evidence suggests that parental commitment has a prominent role in effectively preventing ECC 16 . Consequently, the parents' or caregiver's attitude, source of health information, employment status, age and total number of children have all been identified as risk indicators of late FDVs among children 17 …”

“…16 Consequently, the parents' or caregiver's attitude, source of health information, employment status, age and total number of children have all been identified as risk indicators of late FDVs among children. 17 Despite the high prevalence and severity of ECC among Saudi children, there is a paucity of evidence concerning the response related to the socio-behavioural factors associated with a delayed FDV in this group. Hence, this study aimed to determine the age of children during their FDV and the associated socio-behavioural variables that predict FDV in children aged 12 years or younger in Al Jouf Province, KSA.…”

Dental Health Care Influence on Dental Hygiene of Elementary School Children

“…This is evidenced by the p-value of the control group of 0.171. Basically, the act of maintaining dental health is influenced by several factors, such as the habit of maintaining dental health at home with parents (Neupaul & Mahomed, 2020), age, access to public health services (Medina-Solís, et al, 2006;Afeef, et al, 2021) and social economy status (Elamin, et al, 2021).…”