Knowledge, Perception, and Willingness to Practice Dental Public Health Among Dental Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background This study aimed to explore the awareness, perception, and willingness of dental students toward practicing dental public health (DPH) as an extramural community activity. Methodology A self-administered, closed-ended questionnaire made up of 20 items was developed. Items on awareness, perception, and willingness to practice DPH were collected using a five-point Likert scale, where lower scores reflected a more positive response, and higher scores indicated a more negative one. The questionnaire was distributed as hard copies to first- to fifth-year dental students, as well as interns. The students were from the colleges of dentistry at King Saud University, Princes Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (female-only college) (PNU), Riyadh Elm University, and Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University (male-only college). Results A total of 1,186 students from different dental schools participated in the study. The participants perceived DPH more positively (1.85 ± 0.59 SD); however, their awareness (2.17 ± 0.70 SD) and willingness to practice (2.24 ± 0.57 SD) DPH activities were lower. Findings also showed that females and participants from PNU had, on average, more awareness, better perception, and stronger willingness to practice DPH compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, interns had, on average, more awareness about DPH. Conclusions It is recommended to integrate mandatory community-based rotations into the dental curriculum to provide students with firsthand experience in underserved settings and enhance their understanding of public health needs. In addition, it is recommended to enhance non-dental service-learning opportunities to foster cultural competence and social responsibility through engagement with diverse communities beyond traditional clinical settings and offering elective tracks in DPH to support students with a specific interest in public health and encourage future specialization in this major specialty area.