Evaluation of oral health-related quality of life and its association with mental health status of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era: A study from Central Saudi Arabia

Meta-analysis with systematic review to synthesize associations between oral health related quality of life and anxiety and depression

OBJECTIVES

The present systematic review aimed to investigate how oral health related quality of life (OHQOL) associates with anxiety and depression. The study protocol was registered prospectively in the PROSPERO database (CRD42023389372).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Studies investigating associations between OHQOL and depression and/or anxiety were included. Fisher's Z scores were used to summarize associations between OHQOL and depression/anxiety. Funnel plots and Begg's Tests were used to assess publication bias. Meta-regression was conducted to examine potential moderator effects in the associations. Academic databases including the ISI Web of Knowledge, Scopus, ProQuest and PubMed were systematically searched. The quality of included studies was checked with the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS).

RESULTS

All 15 included studies were cross-sectional (14,419 participants from nine countries; mean age=43.74 years). The pooled estimates showed weak associations between OHQOL and depression (Fisher's z-score of 0.26 [95% CI = 0.17, 0.35; I2 = 96.2%; τ2 = 0.03]) and anxiety (Fisher's z-score of 0.22 [95% CI = 0.001, 0.43; I2 = 97.9%; τ2 = 0.06]). No severe problems in methodology quality, publication biases, or moderator effects were observed.

CONCLUSION

Both depression and anxiety were weakly associated with individuals' OHQOL. Although the synthesized associations were not strong, they were significant, indicating that depression and anxiety are potential factors influencing individuals' OHQOL.

Maternal Perception, Hesitancy, and Satisfaction Toward Childhood Immunization in Primary Health Centers, Hafr Al-Batin: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study from Eastern Saudi Arabia

Background

Consumer perception of and satisfaction with vaccination services is a critical and commonly used indicator for evaluating the quality of services provided by concerned authorities. The present survey assessed maternal perceptions, hesitancy, satisfaction, and factors associated with childhood immunization services provided at the primary health centers (PHCs) of eastern Saudi Arabia.

Methods

The current analytical cross-sectional study included mothers of childhood vaccine beneficiaries attending PHCs in Hafr Al-Batin. We collected data related to mothers' perceptions, hesitancy, and satisfaction using a validated Arabic version of the data collection tool. Factors associated with low and high satisfaction with the immunization services were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. We performed Spearman correlation test to identify the correlation between the perception and satisfaction scores.

Results

Of the 675 participants, 87.4% were satisfied with the immunization services provided at the PHCs. The participants' satisfaction was significantly associated with the immunized child's age group (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.39-2.89, p = 0.037) and occupation status (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.17-1.74, p = 0.024). Vaccine hesitancy was significantly associated with the mother's age group (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI of AR = 1.35-3.39, P = 0.003) and number of children (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI of AR = 1.17-1.74, P = 0.024), Additionally, we found a significant positive correlation (Spearman's rho = 0.207, p < 0.001) between perception and satisfaction scores.

Conclusion

We recommend targeted health education programs for mothers to improve their perceptions and the importance of all recommended childhood vaccines. Additionally, we suggest continuing maternal satisfaction assessments to enhance and maintain the quality of vaccination services.