Awareness and Knowledge of the Adult Population in Saudi Arabia on Teeth Discoloration and Treatment Options: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Tooth discoloration is a common condition. Discoloration can be a major aesthetic concern for some people and it can indicate pathology, so it needs to be addressed. The success of treatment of tooth discoloration is largely dependent on the knowledge and attitude of people towards it. Hence the aim of this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was to evaluate knowledge and awareness of the adult Saudi population about the causes of tooth discoloration and its treatment options.

Materials and Methods: An online close-ended questionnaire consisting of 21 questions about tooth discoloration causes and treatment options were uploaded in Google Forms and was sent to 2000 adults in Saudi Arabia via email and social media websites. The questions were designed to evaluate patients’ knowledge about the various causes of tooth discoloration.

Results: A total of 1041 participants responded to our questionnaire. The study included 560 females (53.79%), and 448 participants aged between 18 and 24 years (43.04%), 192 (18.44%) between 25 and 35 years, 246 (23.63%) between 36 and 51 years, and 155 (14.89%) above 51 years. Most of the participants (n= 649; 62.34%) had a bachelor's degree. The most common answer to the type of teeth discoloration was internal and surface discoloration (n= 511; 49%). There was a positive response to the effect of diet, smoking, aging, and bacteria on tooth discoloration. 79% of the participants did not know what dental fluorosis is. The response to the effect of drugs on teeth discoloration split between "Yes" and "I don't know," and 688 of the participants (66.09%) did not know which drugs cause teeth discoloration. The personal effort was the most common way to obtain information about teeth discoloration (n= 678; 65.13%).

Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, the level of knowledge about tooth discoloration was more concentrated on extrinsic factors, and the majority of the participants demonstrated poor knowledge about the intrinsic causes of tooth discoloration. The preferred treatment option of teeth discoloration was in office bleaching.