Treatment perception and utilization of dental services during pregnancy among sampled women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

To determine the access of dental care among a sample of pregnant women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and identify possible barriers for dental care during pregnancy. The target population in this cross-sectional study was female patients attending one private and two governmental hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The age range for these patients was limited to child bearing age (18–48 years old). The pregnant women were identified in obstetric and gynecology clinics. The control group of non-pregnant women was identified in dermatology clinics. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to assess the pattern of dental service utilization and attitude toward dental treatment during pregnancy. Personal information such as age, education, employment and number of live births were also collected. A total of 959 properly filled questionnaires out of 1176 (71% response rate) were used in the analysis. The mean age of the sampled subjects was 29.6 (±7.0) years. Only 22% of the sampled pregnant women indicated that they visited their dentists during their current pregnancy. Seventy-two percent of the sampled pregnant women indicated that they have experienced at least one dental problem that might need a dental intervention during their current pregnancy. The likelihood of visiting a dentist during pregnancy for pregnant women who visited the dentist before pregnancy was 20.4 times more compared to pregnant women who did not visit the dentist before pregnancy ( N = 510, OR = 20.4, 95% CI [11.9, 34.5]). A lack of knowledge of the importance and safety of dental treatment during pregnancy was reported by the majority of sampled women to be significant barriers for dental care during pregnancy. The majority of the sampled pregnant women did not visit the dentist during pregnancy and had major misconceptions about the need for and/or the safety of dental treatment during pregnancy.