# Knowledge, Perceptions, and Expectations of Dental Anesthesia Among Patients Attending the College of Dentistry Clinic in Hail, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

## TL;DR

This study explores how patients in Saudi Arabia understand dental anesthesia, finding many are unaware of its role and anesthesiologists' responsibilities.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into patient perceptions and knowledge gaps regarding dental anesthesia in a specific regional context.

## Key findings

- Most patients did not recognize the benefits of visiting the anesthesia room before surgery.
- A majority believed physicians are not responsible for anesthesia.
- Patients preferred general anesthesia to avoid seeing the surgery.

## Abstract

Introduction: Anesthesia is unique because it is not a direct means of treatment; rather, it allows other physicians to do things that may treat, diagnose, or cure an ailment, which would otherwise be painful or complicated. In the preoperative period, there are a lot of goals of preparation, but one of the most important is to eliminate anxiety. The current study aims to assess the patients’ knowledge regarding the anesthetist's role and their knowledge about dental anesthesia.

Methods: It is a sectional questionnaire prepared at the Faculty of Dentistry, Hail University, Hail, Saudi Arabia. The study population was female patients. The questionnaire consisted of a general part with questions on demography for all participants and three other sections containing multiple-choice questions. The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA)

Results: A total of 100 patients participated in the survey; all of them were females; 86% of the participants were Saudis. Patients preferred general anesthesia because it allowed them not to see things during surgery (34%). The major reason for preferring regional anesthesia was its safety (56%), while the major reason for its refusal was concern about numbness (40%). The majority of patients reported that there are no benefits from visiting the anesthesia room before surgery (71%) and did not think that all pain types can be treated with anesthesia (83%). Finally, 64% of participants reported that physicians are not responsible for anesthesia, and 71% did not believe in preoperative anesthesia precautions.

Conclusion: Many of the patients in our research were unfamiliar with the role of anesthesia, its many forms and procedures, and the role of anesthesiologists both inside and outside of the operating room. This may be accomplished by interacting with patients, using print and electronic media, and becoming acquainted with the patients prior to surgery.