Knowledge and Attitude Toward Shared Decision‐Making (SDM) Among Senior Students and Residents of Dental College at Riyadh City: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Background Shared decision‐making (SDM) involves clinicians and patients coming to a consensus on the best course of treatment, based on the patient’s choice, after detailed deliberation on treatment options and patient priorities. Academic researchers in the region are yet to evaluate the concept of SDM in the field of dentistry; therefore, the present study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of senior dental students and residents toward SDM. Methods A cross‐sectional, self‐administered questionnaire‐based study was conducted from August 2024 to February 2025, among 176 senior dental students at a dental college at Riyadh. Results The mean age of the senior dental students was 24.17 (± 2.13) years. Six out of seven attitude‐based questions showed significant results based on respondent’s educational levels. Students from 3 rd Year (D3) (OR 13.00, p = 0.00, CI 2.21–74.30) and 4 th (D4) (OR 1.17, p = 0.02, CI 1.17–14.50) were more likely to respond that “patients should trust clinicians to make all decisions on their behalf.” On similar lines, D3 (OR 4.20, p = 0.05, CI 1.98–17.90) students were more likely to feel that “shared decision‐making may cause patients to question their clinical expertise” compared to interns and residents. Conclusions Knowledge related to SDM was found to be less than satisfactory among all the senior dental students enrolled in the study. Level of education had significant association with attitude toward SDM, those with less experience were more likely to respond that it could be questioning their expertise and was time‐consuming.