Factors affecting the academic performance of dental students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Academic performance is a key indicator of a student's success in education and it forms the foundation for carrier in dentistry. Therefore, the aim of this research was to identify the factors associated with poor academic performance among dental students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among dental students from six colleges located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed using Aiken's V test, with each item achieving a score of 0.90 or higher. Test-retest reliability showed an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.82. Descriptive analysis was performed, and Chi-square tests were conducted to assess the significance of the findings. Further regression analysis was carried out to determine the odds associated with each significant finding.

A total of 400 dental students were invited to participate, of whom 318 agreed, resulting in a response rate of 79.5%. Among the participants, 136 (42.8%) reported a GPA below 4.25. Chi-square analysis revealed that male students 90 (53.6%), students who smoked 43 (55.1%), students lacking motivation 67 (58.8%), those with irregular attendance 70 (61.9%) and students perceiving English as a barrier 74 (59.7%) were more prevalent in the lower academic performance group (p = 0.01). Binomial logistic regression analysis indicated that male students [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.12-3.94, p = 0.02], irregular attendance (AOR = 2.50, 95% CI: 1.40-4.50, p = 0.002), and students perceiving English as a barrier (AOR = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.57-5.00, p = 0.01) were more likely to have a GPA below 4.25. Social interactions with family and friends (AOR = 1.80, 95% CI: 0.94-3.45, p = 0.08) also showed a trend toward increased likelihood, though not statistically significant. Conversely, students reporting good sleep quality (AOR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.26-1.01, p = 0.056) and higher motivation (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22-0.73, p = 0.03) were less likely to have a GPA below 4.25.

These findings offer a clear, evidence-based roadmap for dental colleges to develop targeted and effective interventions that improve academic outcomes.