Objective: First, to assess the basic oral health knowledge of residents attending shopping malls in Riyadh city, and second, to determine the correlation between sociodemographic factors and oral health knowledge.
Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated correlation between sociodemographic conditions and oral health knowledge among Saudi residents shopping in various malls of Riyadh city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Structured, close-ended, self-administered questionnaire consisting of 20 items was distributed to 377 shoppers and 349 questionnaires were filled and returned back. Collected data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21. Mean and standard deviation scores were calculated and compared between different sociodemographic groups. Pearson's correlation tests were applied.
Results: Overall mean knowledge score of 12.53 ± 3.38 was observed among the study subjects. Comparisons made between different age groups, gender, education, occupation, marital status, and nationality have shown statistically significant difference in oral health knowledge. Moreover, oral health knowledge showed significant positive correlation with various sociodemographic variables.
Conclusion: Residents attending shopping malls in Riyadh city showed gaps in oral health knowledge. Sociodemographic factors, such as age, gender, education, occupation, nationality, and marital status have shown significant differences and positive correlation with oral health knowledge.