Oral Health Status, Treatment Needs and Oral Health Related Quality of Life among Hearing Impaired Adults in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

AIM: The primary objective was to determine the oral health status and treatment needs among hearing-impaired (HI) adults. Second, to assess the relationship between the oral health variables and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) by using General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI)-Ar questionnaire among HI adults in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 146 HI adults between the age groups of 18-21, 22-25, and >25 years were included in the study. A convenient sampling technique was used to obtain the study sample. Oral health condition was recorded by using oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S), plaque index (PI), and gingival index (GI). The WHO methodology was used to record dental caries and treatment needs. The Saudi Arabian version of GOHAI-Ar questionnaire was used to gather information with regard to OHRQoL. A sign language expert communicated information between HI and investigator while answering the questionnaire. RESULTS: More than half of the HI had fair OHI-S (55.2%) and PI score (54.2%), while 60.1% of HI had moderate gingival inflammation. The prevalence of dental caries (82.2%) and treatment needs (85.6%) were found to be high. Mean oral hygiene scores between Saudi and non-Saudi nationals [(1.64) vs (1.12), p = 0.041] showed significant differences. Missing and filled teeth showed significant differences across different age groups (p = 0.000). The mean GOHAI-Ar was found to be low (14.44 ± 9.59). Spearman's test showed a significant positive correlation between the GOHAI-Ar score and the toothbrushing method (r = 0.164, p = 0.047). Toothbrushing time, oral hygiene material, last visit to dentist, OHI-S score, PI score, decayed, missing, and decayed missing filled teeth (DMFT) scores were negatively correlated with GOHAI-Ar. Speech was the main concern for the HI. CONCLUSION: There was a fair oral hygiene, moderate gingival inflammation, high caries experience, and treatment needs with low GOHAI-Ar scores indicating poor OHRQoL among HI.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Parental Perception of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Children: A Comparison of a Sample from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Materials and Methods: OHRQoL was measured using a a validated Arabic version of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP). Parents of children aged between 5 and 9 years were administered questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic. The responses were compared across the different domains of the questionnaire between the two countries using the Mann-Whitney U test. Differences were also tested between the parents of males and females separately in each city. The correlation of the COHIP scores with the age of the child was done using the Spearman's rho. Results: No significant differences in overall COHIP scores were found between the parents in Riyadh and Kuwait City (p > 0.05). There were significant gender differences observed across domains in Kuwait (p = 0.030) but not in Riyadh (p = 0.295). There was also a significant negative correlation between the different COHIP domains in Kuwait but not Riyadh. Conclusion: There is a greater gender difference and age correlation of OHRQoL among the population studied in Kuwait City when compared to those in Riyadh.

Dental esthetic and the likelihood of finding a job in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Person's physical, dental appearance, and sexual identity are the characteristics most obvious to others. Prior researches suggest that visible sign of unhealthy dental status may lead to an individual's social or professional exclusion, so the aim of the study was to measure the influence of dental appearance on hiring managers' perception of intelligence, honesty and efficiency of job applicants in Saudi Arabia, and the likelihood of employment opportunity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study comprised 280 hiring managers. All participants were assigned randomly into two groups and received a survey with 10 different images for hypothetical job applicants. The images were digitally manipulated to have the Saudi national dress and to represent different dental conditions. The photos in both surveys were the opposite with no repetition except for 3 for reliability. Each evaluator randomly received one survey without knowing of the other. Participants were asked questions about their perception of honesty, intelligence, efficiency, and potential employability of the provided applicants' photos. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in demographics data between the hiring managers assigned to both groups. Hypothetical job applicants with smiles affected by malocclusion were perceived to be less intelligent with P value = 0.0001, but there was no altered perception for honesty and efficiency. Moreover, applicants with caries were perceived to be less honest, intelligent, and efficient by the hiring managers with P value of 0.0007, 0.0011 and 0.0138, respectively. Applicants with dental imperfections compared to normal smile were 52% less likely to be employed. CONCLUSION: Dental appearance might alter people perception about the character of the affected person, and it might influence the judgment of future employers when screening for candidates; as a result, we recommend more educational programs for the public and hiring managers.