Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Access and Utilization of Oral Healthcare Services and their Associated Factors Among Students with Disability in Al-Ahsa of Saudi Arabia(The University of Western Australia, 2024) Asiri, Faris Yahya I; Kruger, Estie; Tennant, MarcBackground: Oral health disparities are a significant issue for persons with disabilities (PWDs), who face various barriers to accessing dental care. Understanding these disparities and identifying associated factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions. Aim: We aim to provide an overview of the oral health outcomes of PWDs through systematic reviews. Additionally, we seek to assess the access to and utilisation of oral health care services and their associated factors among students with disabilities (SWDs) in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, while also exploring the preparedness of dental students and the role of special education teachers in promoting oral health, through cross-sectional studies. Methods: This thesis comprised two stages. The first stage involved conducting four systematic reviews on oral health disparities among PWDs in Saudi Arabia and one global overview of systematic reviews to identify common barriers faced by PWDs in accessing dental healthcare, as well as exploring potential solutions. The second stage included three cross-sectional studies conducted in Al-Ahsa. Surveys were administered to parents, special education teachers, and dental students, focusing on perceived oral healthcare behaviors and barriers to care for SWDs, special education teachers' involvement in oral health education and promotion for SWDs, and dental students' preparedness in managing PWDs. Results: The systematic reviews highlighted significant oral health disparities among PWDs in Saudi Arabia, including high rates of dental caries, periodontal disease, and orthodontic issues. Additionally, PWDs and their families experienced low oral health-related quality of life. Global barriers to accessing dental care for PWDs included financial constraints, provider-related issues, access-related challenges, systemic barriers, and patient-related factors. In the cross-sectional studies conducted in Al-Ahsa, findings from parents revealed concerns regarding the oral health behaviours of SWDs, including irregular tooth brushing (45.7% brushing irregularly), lack of flossing (only 4.3% flossing regularly), and frequent sugar intake (48.1% consuming sweets daily). Infrequent dental visits (51.9% sought only on an emergency basis) indicated limited utilisation of oral healthcare services. The most reported barriers were fear of treatment (47.1%), long waiting times (44.7%), and difficulty finding willing dentists (45.5%). Special education teachers played a critical role, yet their involvement in oral health education was constrained by inadequate resources (56.1%), limited knowledge (29.2%), misconceptions about primary teeth removal (47.4%), and challenges in recommending dentists for SWDs (62.5%). Only 20.8% of teachers had received oral health education, and collaboration with dental professionals was minimal. The project also assessed the attitudes, training, and exposure of dental students to PWDs, identifying gaps in their education. Notably, 42.5% of students felt unprepared to manage PWDs. Addressing these gaps through structured exposure to PWDs during training is essential to equip future healthcare providers to deliver comprehensive and compassionate care. Conclusion: Our studies underline the need for targeted interventions to ease access to healthcare services, including improved dental education to prepare professionals to effectively manage PWDs, increased resources and training for special education teachers, and policy reforms to address systemic and financial barriers impacting dental care for PWDs. Schools would serve as effective and efficient collaborative platforms for delivering oral health education and implementing effective, cost-efficient preventive strategies for SWDs, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030’s goals of promoting accessible healthcare, enhancing the value of healthcare services, and strengthening prevention against health threats for the Saudi population.12 0Item Restricted Evaluating Reported Patient Perspectives of Teledentistry Use for Dental Care Provision During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A Scoping Review(University of Exeter, 2024) Althabit, Thabet; Carrieri, DanieleBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted dental services, increasing interest in teledentistry as an alternative. In Saudi Arabia, dental clinics' temporary closure in March 2020 made teledentistry crucial for maintaining dental care. Despite advanced technology, teledentistry use was low. Understanding patient perspectives is key to improving its adoption. Objective: This review synthesizes evidence on patient perspectives, satisfaction, and perceived outcomes of teledentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia to guide future strategies and research. Methods: Following a scoping review methodology, we searched multiple databases from 2020 to 2024, identifying studies involving Saudi patients using teledentistry during the pandemic. Data were extracted and analyzed thematically. Results: Eleven studies from 2020 to 2023 were included. Key themes were accessibility, convenience, patient satisfaction, and security concerns. Teledentistry improved access and reduced costs, with high satisfaction for minor issues. However, data privacy concerns and limitations in handling complex cases were noted. Conclusion: Teledentistry offered significant benefits during the pandemic, enhancing accessibility and patient satisfaction for minor issues. Yet, managing complex cases and ensuring data security remain challenges. A hybrid model of teledentistry and in-person visits is recommended. Further research on long-term effects, cost-effectiveness, and data security is needed.41 0Item Restricted Satisfaction, Utilisation and Willingness to Pay for Primary Care Dental Services(Queen’s University Belfast, 2024-07-02) Almutairi, Majed; O’Neill, Ciaran; McKenna, GerryIt is a common objective to strive for better health. Keeping one's teeth healthy and practising appropriate oral hygiene are essential but frequently overlooked aspects. Poor dental health can have a detrimental effect on speech, diet, and general well-being and has been related to a range of serious health conditions. Nevertheless, there are substantial obstacles to receiving prompt, reasonably priced dental care. User preferences can offer insights into the publics’ perceptions of dental services' how they are valued and used. Potential disparities in oral health and the effectiveness of the healthcare system can also be found by analysing preferences differently among social groups. This emphasises how crucial oral health equity is to enable everyone to reach the highest standards regardless of social or economic background. This thesis aims to examine satisfaction, utilisation, and Willingness to Pay for dental care, to identify the underlying factors that lead to differences across these among various groups of individuals, and to assess how the context in which care is delivered affects them. The thesis consists of a number of studies, that use primary and secondary data from Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. It seeks to understand the perception of dental services, how these vary and what lessons might be learnt from this with respect to policy. The thesis is laid out in five chapters. In Chapter 1, the background to the study is provided and motivation for the subsequent empirical chapters set out. In Chapter 2 an empirical study that examine satisfaction with dental services are presented using the Donabedian framework to relate care quality to satisfaction. In this study, data from the British Social Attitudes Survey (BSAS) is used to examine the differences in satisfaction across different demographic groups and to track the development of this satisfaction over time. The chapter demonstrates using data from the UK, how satisfaction with dental services can vary within a publicly funded system throughout an economic cycle as the opportunities for private practice change and with it, access to dental care among publicly funded patients. Importantly the chapter underscores the challenges in analysing and interpreting the results of satisfaction survey data. In Chapter 3, the focus shifts to the utilisation of dental care, using the Andersen model as a conceptual framework. The chapter has been divided into two main sections. The first section emphasises the significance of accurately describing the concept of 'need' when examining variations in dental care use. Using data from the Scottish Health Survey, it highlights distinctions between those who use services for prevention and those who use services for treatment attention terms of their socio-demographics. The following section examines differences between regions in use of services that might be concealed by national statistics. The second study demonstrates the existence in Saudi Arabia of distinct patterns across regions in use of care related to socio-demographic characteristics of users. In Chapter 4, satisfaction with, utilisation of, and willingness to pay for dental care services in Saudi Arabia are examined using primary data analysis that collected face to face and online. the first study examines satisfaction with dental care in Saudi Arabia by conducting a comparative analysis of in-person and online surveys. This study highlights the possible influence of survey administration techniques on research findings. This study shows how overall satisfaction varies as satisfaction with specific aspects of service but not others vary, demonstrating that amenities and communication are critical drivers of overall satisfaction. In the second empirical study the utilisation of services as reported in face-to-face surveys and online surveys in Saudi Arabia are examined on the potential for sample selection is explored using data gathered during the COVID pandemic and its aftermath. In the third study, the utility theory used to examine the willingness of individuals in Saudi Arabia to pay for dental check-ups using online survey responses in Saudi Arabia. This study presents as a proof of principle a study of WTP in Saudi Arabia and amines differences in willingness to pay among various demographic groups. The validity of the study's estimated willingness-to-pay is validated internally and externally. It also examines the more general implications of these findings for fairness and healthcare policy, providing a thorough assessment of the financial elements of dental service accessibility and cost in Saudi Arabia. In the final chapter the lessons from across the various empirical studies are discussed, strengths and limitations of the work examined and areas for further research identified.32 0