General Dentists' Perceptions of the Need for a Special Care Dentistry Program in Saudi Arabia: National Survey

Introduction: Patients with special healthcare needs face persistent barriers to dental care, and little is known about how prepared general dentists in Saudi Arabia feel to treat them. This study evaluated general dentists' experience, challenges, and interest in a Special Care Dentistry (SCD) program in Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: A structured online survey was distributed via convenience sampling method to general dentists across Saudi Arabia via Google Forms between December 2025 - February 2026, capturing demographic data, clinical experience with patients with special healthcare needs, and interest in postgraduate training. A total of 903 general dentists participated. Data were analyzed in SPSS v26.0 using chi-square tests, with Bonferroni and false discovery rate corrections for multiple comparisons.

Results: Most participants were female (59.7%) and worked in private practice (88.3%). Nearly all (99.4%) had encountered patients with special healthcare needs, and 91.4% had treated them, most commonly those with sensory (82.8%) and communication/developmental (76.1%) disabilities. Time constraints (88.6%) and communication difficulties (72.6%) were the most reported challenges. Treatment of patients with special healthcare needs varied significantly by years of practice and place of practice, and interest in further training and preferred program format varied significantly by years of practice and place of practice (all adjusted p<0.05). Despite high clinical exposure, 73.2% expressed interest in further SCD training, with 38.4% definitely willing to enroll and 51.1% willing depending on cost and duration; a master's degree was the most preferred format (51.5%).

Conclusion: These findings reveal a substantial gap between clinical demand and formal preparedness among general dentists in Saudi Arabia, underscoring the need to establish Special Care Dentistry as a recognized specialty and expand postgraduate training in this field.