Attitudes and barriers of dental educators toward integrated environmentally sustainable oral health education in Saudi Arabia

Environmental sustainability (ES) is a key competency in healthcare education; however, the incorporation of ES into dental curricula in Saudi Arabia (SA) has been limited. This study aimed to evaluate SA dental educators’ perspectives on integrating ES into dental education, measuring their attitudes, perceived barriers, and institutional support. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a validated online questionnaire (Content Validity Index = 0.92) among faculty members of public and private dental schools across Saudi Arabia. Of 550 invited faculty, 336 completed the survey (response rate: 61.1%). Attitudes (8 items), perceived barriers (8 items), and institutional support (4 items) were measured on 5-point Likert scales and categorized as low (≤ 2.33), moderate (2.34–3.67), or high (≥ 3.68). Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression were performed. Attitudes towards sustainability were favorable (mean = 4.39, SD = 1.002). The highest-rated perceived barrier was the lack of national curriculum guidelines (mean = 3.75, SD = 0.922). Institutional support was perceived as moderate (mean = 3.08). Chi-square tests revealed significant associations between institutional type, formal training, and teaching of sustainability content and all three constructs (p ≤ 0.05); age was not significantly associated with any construct. Binary logistic regression showed that professors and middle-aged educators were more likely to report formal sustainability training; educators currently teaching sustainability topics were less likely to have received it. SA dental educators broadly support integrating sustainability competencies into dental education, yet significant structural and institutional barriers remain. National curriculum guidelines, institutional sustainability strategies, and targeted faculty training are needed to translate positive attitudes into meaningful curricular change.