Dental Health Care Services Provided by the Ministry of Health Facilities in Jazan Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Ministry of Health (MOH) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) plays a vital role in providing dental health care services in the country. Despite the MOH's efforts to control and prevent oral diseases through the implementation of oral health promotion (OHP) programs, there are still many barriers to accessing dental care in KSA. These barriers include lack of perceived need, lack of insurance, high cost, transportation issues, dental phobia, and physical impairments. Jazan region, in particular, faces challenges in terms of accessibility to dental care due to a lack of dental clinics in certain cities and a shortage of oral health care professionals. Various factors are prioritised when improving oral health and dental services in different developed countries. These considerations include accessibility, workforce development, dental research, oral health promotion, systems alignment, and integration, as well as the security and quality of such services. This thesis focuses on Jazan region of KSA, with an emphasis on access to dental services, the advancement and training of oral health providers, dental research, and oral health promotion. This thesis provides a thorough analysis of six publications on dental health services in Jazan, KSA. The thesis was conducted by collecting data from official government and professional bodies, and also by using primary data collection methods such as semi-structured interviews and web-based questionnaires. The results of the studies indicate that Jazan faces lower accessibility to dental health care due to issues such as an improper distribution of providers and services and a shortage of oral health care professionals. We also found that many variables were significantly associated with the providers' participation in dental workshops, including gender, age, work location, education level, professional type, years of experience, country of last degree, average time of any treatment procedure for each patient, and number of patients every day. In terms of dental research, we found that participation was low, with just over half of the participants working in primary health care centres (PHCs). We also found that Research & Development (R&D) support and intentions significantly predicted the providers' participation in dental research. Additionally, obstacles to OHP including a lack of training, funding, time, and a lack of interest in OHP among the community were identified as contributing factors. To address these issues, the government and policymakers should focus on equal distribution of dental providers and facilities, funding for permanent and temporary dental positions, and professional and educational training for providers and the community. Further research is needed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the oral health situation in KSA and inform the development of effective strategies for improving access to dental care. This thesis provides valuable insights and recommendations for policymakers and health care professionals to improve the oral health care system in Jazan region and KSA as a whole.