Reasons for First Dental Visit in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Reasons for First Dental Visit (RFV) represent patients' subjective motives for seeking dental care and often reflect their most urgent needs. These complaints, frequently related to pain, directly influence diagnosis and treatment planning. Addressing RFV is crucial for patient satisfaction and the delivery of quality oral health care. This systematic review aimed to identify the most commonly reported RFVs at initial dental visits in Saudi Arabia (SA) and to explore the underlying motivations for seeking dental care.

Following a PRISMA-guided protocol, a systematic online search was conducted through PubMed, EMBASE, OVID and Web of Science databases, supplemented by manual searches in regional journals, to identify studies reporting dental RFVs in SA published between 2002 and June 2025. Eligible cross-sectional studies in English and Arabic were screened independently by two reviewers. Data were extracted on study characteristics, demographics, and RFV prevalence/types. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies.

Ten cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria. The JBI appraisal revealed that 2(20%) were at low risk of bias, 7(70%) were at moderate risk (of which 3 were classified as low-to-moderate), and 1(10%) was high-to-moderate risk. First-visit attendance was largely symptom-driven-pain/emergency (19.8-71.5%) and caries (17.9-45.2%)-while preventive motives were less frequent (check-up 10.5-27.3%; one outlier 40.3%; fluoride/cleaning 3.2-20.5%). Other indications were infrequent (generally ≤10%; eg, trauma 0-9.2%, extraction 2.4-10.6%, malocclusion ~8.8%, discoloration ~5.1%, referral 0.8-0.9%), indicating predominance of restorative or endodontic demand over preventive care.

Initial dental visits in SA are predominantly symptom-driven, led by pain and caries, while preventive and elective reasons remain limited. Strengthening public health and clinical initiatives that encourage early, routine attendance through education and recalls is vital to shift dental care utilization toward prevention.