Dental expenditure and catastrophic dental expenditure in Eastern Saudi Arabia: Pattern and associated factors

Background Dental services have one of the highest expenses among health services. The aims of the study were to assess (1) dental expenditure (DE), (2) catastrophic dental expenditure (CDE), (3) dental services payment and (4) factors associated with DE and CDE. Material and methods A cross sectional study was conducted in 2018 in Saudi Arabia. Using convenience sample, participants were recruited from governmental and private dental clinics/hospitals. A questionnaire assessed (a) personal information, (b) dental background: payment methods, type of clinics visited, perceived oral health status, frequency of pain and (c) payment for dental services received. The number of remaining teeth w…