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. 2022 Jul 31:28:e937470.
doi: 10.12659/MSM.937470.

A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies Conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Levels of Dental Anxiety Between Genders and Demographic Groups

Mohammed Y Tarrosh  1 , Yaser Ali Alhazmi  2 , Mohammed Yahya Aljabri  2 , Mohammed Mousa H Bakri  2 , Hamed A Al Shawkani  1 , Mohammed M Al Moaleem  3   4 , Thiyezen Abdullah Al-Dhelai  5   6 , Shilpa Bhandi  1 , Shankargouda Patil  2
Affiliations

A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies Conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Levels of Dental Anxiety Between Genders and Demographic Groups

Mohammed Y Tarrosh et al. Med Sci Monit. .

Abstract

BACKGROUND Dental anxiety can impact oral health and dental treatment in patients of all age groups, which seems to be an obstacle to quality dental care. This systematic review of the literature aimed to evaluate the findings from cross-sectional studies conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on levels of dental anxiety (DA) between genders and among various demographic groups. MATERIAL AND METHODS An electronic search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases was carried out in January 2022. Studies that measured dental anxiety in Saudis in all regions of the KSA by direct evaluation and interviews were included. Studies that were not in the English language or used proxy measures were excluded. Quality assessment was carried out using Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies. RESULTS A total of 19 cross-sectional studies from the KSA were identified that used validated anxiety scales, including the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale, Revised (DAS-R), and the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). All studies were rated as having a high risk of bias. A mild level of DA was the most common among participants in the KSA. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this systematic review showed that in the KSA, although a mild level of dental anxiety was most common in the study participants, women, young adults, and university students showed a higher prevalence of dental anxiety. However, the lack of sufficient literature to support the current findings make an overall conclusion about DA extremely difficult.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart depicting the study selection via databases and registries.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias ratings based on Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Summary of quality assessment.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number of studies that indicated the presence of dental anxiety levels among males and females in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Percentage of dental anxiety among different age groups in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Number of studies that reported high levels of dental anxiety in relation to the level of education among different regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Percentage of dental anxiety levels in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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