Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33519192›Full record

ArticlePatient preference and adherence2021

Barriers to Dental Care in Individuals with Special Healthcare Needs in Qatif, Saudi Arabia: A Caregiver's Perspective.

Amal Alfaraj, Hassan S Halawany, Muntasar T Al-Hinai, Abid H Al-Badr, Marwa Alalshaikh, Khalifa S Al-Khalifa

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Patient preference and adherence, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Caregiver's Oral Health Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Special Needs Children, Zimbabwe.Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Amal AlfarajProsthodontics Residency Program, Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Hassan S HalawanyDepartment of Periodontics and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Muntasar T Al-HinaiDental and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Abid H Al-BadrDepartment of Periodontics and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Marwa AlalshaikhPeriodontics Fellowship Program, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Khalifa S Al-KhalifaDepartment of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.ORCID 0000-0001-8160-9288
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University · SAKing Saud University · SAIndiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis · USSultan Qaboos University Hospital · OM

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAccess to dental care is a key factor influencing oral health outcomes. Individuals with special healthcare needs are at risk of not having access to dental care services which they need to maintain their oral health. This study assessed the magnitude of this problem and identified barriers responsible for the difficulties in accessing dental care in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, as reported by caregivers of individuals with special healthcare needs.

methodsThis cross-sectional study collected data using a self-administered survey questionnaire from caregivers of individuals with special healthcare needs across 11 centers (eight special needs centers and three schools) in Qatif, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, between February and April 2019.

resultsA total of 186 caregivers participated in the study, 102 (54.8%) of whom reported difficulties in getting access to dental care. The key barriers included lack of time on the part of caregivers (60.8%), unsuitable clinic environment (53.9%), difficulties with transportation (51.9%), medical/health status of the individual with special healthcare needs (51.0%), and geographically distant dental clinics (51.0%). Caregiver demographics (age, gender, and educational level) had no significant influence on the difficulties reported by caregivers in getting access to dental care for individuals with special healthcare needs (p>0.05).

conclusionA large proportion of caregivers in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, experience difficulties with access to dental care services for individuals with special healthcare needs. The most common barriers are physical accessibility of dental facilities (for individuals with special healthcare needs), affordability, and lack of skills and knowledge of dental care providers.

Indexed as

caregiversdental care for disabledhealth services accessibilitySaudi Arabia

Identifiers

PMID33519192
PMCPMC7837515
OpenAlexW3125206439

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.