Assessment of Oral Health-related Quality of Life among Expatriate Working Population, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The expatriate workers (foreign workers) come from various countries having different languages, cultures, and tradition to work in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA); here they adopt to local customs, traditions, and work ethics in this new environment. How they perceive their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is important for health-care provider for understanding and planning in patient management. The data of expat workers and their OHRQoL in KSA are meager; hence, assessment of OHRQoL among expatriate working population in Al Zulfi, Saudi Arabia was planned. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on adult expat working population of various nationalities who were working in Al Zulfi, KSA. The study sample comprised 600 adult expats. OHRQoL was analyzed by using 14-Item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire as instrument. Clinical examination for oral health status was carried out using decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and Oral Hygiene Index simplified (OHI-S). Student’s t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare data using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, version 20.0 with significance at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The age of the sample population ranged from 19 to 60 years. No significant difference was observed in oral health status among expats of different nationalities. Age and education were significantly related to OHRQoL as well as oral health status. The mean cumulative scores of OHIP-14 showed that expats from different nationalities had statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION: Overall the impact of OHRQoL was less among working expat population in Al Zulfi. Physical pain was the common dimension seen among all nationalities. Psychological discomfort and handicap dimensions of OHIP-14 were significant among the study sample.