Bamaga Ibraheem K, Almalki Aseel, Alnafei Jomanh, Alsubhi Nouf, Sembawa Shahinaz, Harrandah Amani M
Basic and Clinical Oral Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, SAU.
Preventive Dentistry, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Nov 17;16(11):e73880. doi: 10.7759/cureus.73880. eCollection 2024 Nov.
Oral health constitutes a critical component of overall health. Additionally, there is evidence of a bidirectional interaction between oral health and the progression of chronic diseases. Many chronic illnesses present oral manifestations and thus can impact oral health but conversely, oral health, particularly the presence of oral bacteria, can influence the progression of chronic diseases. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of this relationship is essential, as it has significant implications for both oral and overall health. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of the Saudi population about oral health and its association with systemic diseases, as well as the factors that might affect this knowledge including demographics and educational level.
A structured questionnaire using multiple-choice questions was developed in Arabic language and distributed among patients visiting the Dental Teaching Hospital of Umm AlQura University. An electronic version of the questionnaire was developed using Google Forms for distribution through social media outlets. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 29 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze the data, and the significance level was set at p<0.05. Participants were considered to have good oral health knowledge and awareness if they answered 60% of the questions correctly.
Most participants were female (66.5%), predominantly aged 20-29 years. More than half of the participants (166; 52%) reported insufficient knowledge regarding oral health. Additionally, there was a significant association between gender and the level of knowledge (p<0.001), with females exhibiting a higher level of knowledge compared to males. Furthermore, there was a significant association between the source of information and the level of knowledge (p=0.009) with participants who reported social media as their primary source of information being more likely to have sufficient knowledge.
Since more than half of the surveyed individuals demonstrated a deficiency in oral health knowledge, there is a necessity for enhanced awareness and educational initiatives regarding the implications of oral health on general health within the Saudi population.
口腔健康是整体健康的重要组成部分。此外，有证据表明口腔健康与慢性病进展之间存在双向相互作用。许多慢性病会出现口腔表现，从而影响口腔健康，但反之，口腔健康，尤其是口腔细菌的存在，会影响慢性病的进展。因此，全面了解这种关系至关重要，因为它对口腔健康和整体健康都有重大影响。本研究旨在评估沙特人群对口腔健康及其与全身性疾病关联的了解程度，以及可能影响这种认知的因素，包括人口统计学特征和教育水平。
使用阿拉伯语编制了一份包含多项选择题的结构化问卷，并分发给访问乌姆古拉大学牙科教学医院的患者。使用谷歌表单开发了问卷的电子版本，通过社交媒体平台分发。使用SPSS 29版（纽约州阿蒙克：IBM公司）对数据进行分析。采用描述性统计、卡方检验和费舍尔精确检验分析数据，显著性水平设定为p<0.05。如果参与者正确回答60%的问题，则认为他们具有良好的口腔健康知识和意识。
大多数参与者为女性（66.5%），主要年龄在20 - 29岁。超过一半的参与者（166人；52%）表示对口腔健康知识了解不足。此外，性别与知识水平之间存在显著关联（p<0.001），女性的知识水平高于男性。此外，信息来源与知识水平之间存在显著关联（p = 0.009），将社交媒体作为主要信息来源的参与者更有可能具备足够的知识。
由于超过一半的受调查个体表现出口腔健康知识不足，因此有必要在沙特人群中加强关于口腔健康对总体健康影响的认识和教育举措。
