Awareness of professional fluoride application and its caries prevention role among women in KSA

OBJECTIVES: Considering the high caries prevalence among Saudi females, spreading knowledge on caries prevention modalities such as high-concentration professional fluoride (PF) applications could decrease their risk of dental caries. However, little is known about the current level of female awareness on the important caries prevention role of PF applications. Therefore, this study assessed the level of awareness of female adults in the KSA regarding PF application and its role in caries prevention. METHODS: An electronic self-administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed among women in Almadinah Almunawwarah, KSA using social media groups. It consisted of four sections: demographic data, caries experience, knowledge regarding fluoride and caries prevention, and knowledge regarding PF application and caries prevention. For the statistical analyses, simple descriptive statistics as means and frequency distributions were calculated, whereas comparisons were performed using the chi-squared test. RESULTS: A total of 405 females participated in the study. Participants were mostly married non-working Saudi women aged between 18 and 55 years. The education level of the majority of participants was at least a bachelor's degree. Most of the participants reported a high caries experience indicated by the presence of cavities (69.1%), fillings (87.2%), and missing teeth due to cavities (64.7%). Regarding PF questions, 34.8% knew the role of PF in caries prevention and 35.6% responded correctly to forms of PF. Only 14.5% reported receiving PF, whereas 57.3% did not know the frequency of PF application. A significant relationship was found between a lack of knowledge regarding the role of PF application and the presence of cavities (p = 0.003). Only 30.4% of participants reported receiving advice from their dentists regarding PF application. CONCLUSION: Most female adults in Almadinah Almunawwarah, KSA have limited knowledge of the importance of PF application in caries prevention, which could contribute to their caries experience.