A Nationwide Saudi Oral Health-related Quality of Life Appraisal by OHIP-14: A Cross-sectional Study

To assess the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) across Saudi Arabia and identify the most affected domains and regions.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using the Arabic-validated OHIP-14 questionnaire and sociodemographic data. OHIP-14 scores (0-56) indicate poorer OHRQoL at higher values. A total score ≥60% was defined as poor OHRQoL.

Among 694 participants, 70.6% were female and 66.4% were aged 25-44. The prevalence of poor OHRQoL was 14.8%. Physical pain (26.8%) was the most frequently reported domain, followed by psychological discomfort (25.2%) and psychological disability (23.5%). The mean OHIP-14 total score was 15.8 ± 14.4; physical pain showed the highest mean domain score (3.3 ± 2.2). Poor OHRQoL was statistically significantly more common in males, older adults (>44 years), those with lower education, and smokers (all p 0.05). The Southern region had the highest median OHIP-14 score (27.0), followed by Northern (18.0) and Central (14.0), while the Eastern region had the lowest (6.0) (p 0.001).

Oral problems considerably affect the quality of life of Saudi adults, particularly in physical pain and psychological domains. Vulnerable groups include males, older individuals, smokers, and those with lower education, while the Southern and Northern regions show the highest impact. Targeted preventive and educational interventions are needed to address these disparities.