Dental fear, anxiety, oral hygiene and dental caries in Al Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a hospital-based cross-sectional study

To assess possible association between dental fear, anxiety, oral hygiene, and sociodemographic factors and prevalence, severity of dental caries among adult patients at a university dental clinic in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study conducted from September to December 2022, a convenience sample was used. Data were collected through clinical examinations to determine the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and oral hygiene levels. Dental fear and anxiety were assessed using structured questionnaires. Bivariate analyses and multivariable regression models were used to identify significant associations. 619 patients with a mean age of 29.46-years, 63.2% were males. The prevalence of dental caries was (89.5%), with a mean DMFT score of 10-teeth (SD ± 7.6), and the mean significant caries index SiC30 was 18 (SD ± 6.4). 36.6% had dental fear, whereas less than third (25.8%) had anxiety. In the final binary regression model, factors significantly associated with a higher likelihood of having dental caries were being older (AOR = 3.3, C.I. 1.4-8.1, p-value 0.008), having lower education (AOR 0.4, C.I. 0.2-0.8, p-value 0.006), and exhibiting poor oral hygiene (AOR = 0.4, C.I. 0.2-0.8, p-value 0.006). Conclusions: The prevalence of dental caries in this clinical cohort was determined to be high as reported by previous studies. The primary risk factors for dental caries were age, lower educational attainment, and inadequate oral hygiene, whereas dental fear and anxiety showed no correlation with dental caries.