Attitude and awareness of dental patients towards disclosure of medical history to dentists: a cross-sectional study

Background: Patients' willingness to share their medical history is vital, yet some may withhold information due to various reasons. Aim: To explore the attitude and awareness of dental patients towards the disclosure of medical history to their dentists in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methodology: -Tests were used for data analysis. Result: Most participants were females (67.5%), hold bachelor's degrees (66.9%), and aged 18-24(29.4%). The majority of participants (94.2%) had prior dental treatment and (97.1%) did not experience clinical complications. Moreover, (76.4%) of the participants reported it's very important to inform the dentist about complications previously experienced in the dental clinic. However, few participants think it is very important to choose morning appointments for diabetic patients (33.9%). Also, the respondents reported that it is very important to tell the dentist about the month of pregnancy (71.2%). Conclusion: The findings suggest that adult dental patients in the current sample demonstrate a positive attitude towards disclosure of medical history to dentists. However, gaps in health awareness were identified. These findings highlight the potential role of patient education and interprofessional collaboration in improving patients' health literacy.