PDF icon Download PDF
Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · European Journal of General Dentistry
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809299
Original Article

Challenges in Accessing Dental Care for Special Care Populations in Jazan, Saudi Arabia: A Study among Health Professionals and Caregivers

Mohammed Najmuddin
1   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Yaser Ali Alhazmi
2   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Safeena Abdul Khader Saheb
3   Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Wafa Hadi Alfaifi
4   Tadawi Dent-Jazan, Jazan, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Sara Abdulhamid Sori
4   Tadawi Dent-Jazan, Jazan, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Shreefah M. Faris
4   Tadawi Dent-Jazan, Jazan, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Hemant Ramesh Chourasia 
5   Division of Endodontics, Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
,
Amit Porwal 
6   Department of Prosthetic Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Ankur Jethlia 
7   Division of Diagnostic, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
,
Sheetal Mujoo
1   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Mohammed Wahajuddin
8   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Al Badar Rural Dental, Dental College and Hospital, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.
› Further Information
Also available ateRef
  Permissions and Reprints
Preview

Abstract

Objective

Those with disabilities lack access to adequate dental health care services that are fundamental for maintaining their oral health. The study was primarily conducted to identify the actual barriers to dental care services for disabled patients. The study aimed to find the perfect solution capable of addressing the problems encountered by both dental practitioners and disabled patients.

Materials and Methods

The present cross-sectional study was performed on 160 study subjects, 100 including parents and patients and 60 dental professionals including consultants, dental practitioners, interns, and dental undergraduate students, by using two self-administered structured questionnaires for both groups. The demographic variables and any information by parents and dental professionals that might be helpful in managing the treatment of disabled children were recorded. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using IBM SPSS version 20.0 software.

Results

Note that 56.7% of the dental professionals who participated in the study were dental interns in the age group of 20 to 25 years belonging to the Saudi region. Majority of these dental professionals treated disabled children during their dental practice and even acquired specialized training for their management. While a majority of the hospitals comprise of renowned facilities for managing disabled children, right from parking facilities to wheelchairs, most of them lack special facilities like signboards, special toilets, adequate equipment, trained associates, pharmacy, etc. Most of the parents of these disabled children come from rural areas having only secondary education levels. A majority of the patients were physically disabled and suffered from dental problems, the most prevalent one being dental caries. Most parents discovered that the brushing methodology contributed to such dental problems. Few parents blamed the unavailability of equipment as a barrier to getting treated. Most parents were worried constantly over treatment costs and were fearful to get treated.

Conclusion

Despite dental care provided to parents and caregivers of disabled individuals, it is our observation that the numbers are still inadequate in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. The most common barriers for this include treatment cost and the constant fear of getting the dental treatment done by a dental care provider.

Keywords

care provider - dental care - obstacles - oral health - special needs


Publication History

Article published online:
17 June 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India