Assessing the Dental Treatment Needs of Female Patients at the Dental College, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Aims: To assess the treatment need among Saudi female patients attending for dental treatment at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh. Methods: The sample included all female patients referred to the Comprehensive Dental Course for treatment by 5th year students at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University during the academic year 2014-2015. Patients were clinically examined and different dental treatment needs was assessed and documented. Results: A total of 264 patients were examined and 81 were referred mostly to post graduate and undergraduate courses the reason for referral was significantly because of either simplicity or difficulty of the case. Almost 76% of the patients needed restorative treatment, 74.5% needed periodontal treatment, and 71% needed endodontic treatment. Seventy percent of the patients needed fixed prosthetic treatment while 52% of the patients needed removable partial dentures; in addition more than half of the patients (57%) needed teeth extraction. Caries was found to be the main reason for extraction, restorative and endodontic treatments. In Fixed prosthodontic treatment need, crowns were found to be more needed than fixed partial dentures however among removable dentures, conventional partial dentures was the most needed. Conclusion: The study revealed a considerable amount of treatment need, and as caries was found to be the main reason for extraction, restorative and endodontic treatments; efforts should be directed towards more dental educational programs. This can be done through community services programs conducted by the dental school, the main target of these services should be improving oral hygiene and implementing preventive measures to reduce dental caries and periodontal disease.