Oral Health Status, Oral Health Behaviors, and Oral Health Care Utilization among Persons with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia

Faris Yahya I. Asiri (), Marc Tennant and Estie Kruger
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Faris Yahya I. Asiri: Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Marc Tennant: International Research Collaboration—Oral Health and Equity, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
Estie Kruger: International Research Collaboration—Oral Health and Equity, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-24

Abstract: Various studies have indicated that persons with special needs may face several barriers to dental treatment, which increases the prevalence of oral diseases in this population. Moreover, these studies suggested that Saudis with special needs have a higher prevalence of oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease. The aim of this review is to synthesize evidence regarding the current status, trends in oral health behaviors, and oral health care utilization among these individuals, as well as to assess the quality of the literature. Furthermore, this review seeks to recommend directions for future research and oral health care policymaking. An electronic search was conducted using the following databases and registers: PubMed/Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and CENTRAL. Gray literature, which included conference proceedings and unpublished literature, was searched via the library services and Google/Google Scholar, and the quality of studies was assessed using the AXIS scale for cross-sectional studies. A total of 38 studies were included in this review, with the majority of the studies graded as ‘low’. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that individuals with special needs have limited access to oral health care, poor oral health status, and a general lack of awareness in regard to oral health. Therefore, nationwide surveys should be carried out to ascertain the actual extent of the oral inequities among individuals with special needs.

Keywords: oral health; barriers to oral health; accessibility to oral health; individuals with disabilities; special care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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