Oral and General Health Status and Socioeconomic Influences Among Children with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

Inequalities in general and oral health are pronounced among children with disabilities; however, Saudi evidence linking these outcomes to family socioeconomic circumstances is scarce. This study assessed general and oral health in children with disabilities in Riyadh and examined the associations with parental socioeconomic status. A cross-sectional sample of 111 child–caregiver pairs was recruited from four rehabilitation centers. Caregivers completed structured questionnaires on health, service use, and parental education and employment. Sixty-six children received clinical examinations using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) index, the pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, and abscess (PUFA/pufa) index, and the Modified Gingival Index. More than one-third of the caregivers rated their children’s general health as good (36.9%), and only 0.1% reported it as poor. In contrast, only 11.7% of them reported their children’s oral health as good, while 18.9% reported it as poor. Findings showed that although they reported poorer oral health status, they were less likely to regularly visit a dentist than a physician (8.1% and 31.5%, respectively). Examinations showed a mean score of 1.7 (minimum 0, maximum 20) of untreated caries and high prevalence of mild to moderate gingival inflammation. Maternal education correlated with better child oral health (ρ = 0.344; P < 0.001), whereas older children’s age correlated with poorer oral health (ρ = −0.259; P = 0.006). General and oral health were correlated (ρ = 0.347; P < 0.001), but general health showed no association with socioeconomic indicators. Findings highlight the need for caregiver-focused education, routine preventive dentistry embedded within rehabilitation services, and policies that improve timely access to dental care for children with disabilities in Saudi Arabia.