Identifying the Barriers to Dental Care in a Cohort of Employees of an Educational Complex in a Metropolitan City of India: A Cross-sectional Survey
Saudamini Girish More, Sreenivasan Venkatraman, Lalitha Pranathi Pulavarthy, Shazia KhanAbstract
Background:
Patient-centered care has been identified as a marker for the utilization of healthcare services. Utilization of dental services has a direct effect on dental health outcomes.
Methods:
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 263 educational complex employees. The custom-made questionnaire addressing the barriers to dental care utilization was validated by subject experts and used for the purpose of the study. The questionnaire, consisting of 21 items, was made in English and one local language. The questionnaire consisted of two sections: demographic details of participants and potential barriers to dental care utilization for the particular cohort. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and multinomial logistic regression to assess factors influencing dental care utilization. Pearson’s correlation was applied to evaluate the relationship between willingness to spend and frequency of dental visits.
Results:
Participants identified “dental visits are too many” and “lack of time” as the most common reasons for not visiting a dentist in the past 6 months. Individuals preferring private clinics had higher odds of receiving regular dental care (odds ratio = 5.46,
Conclusion:
Time constraints, numerous visits required for dental care, and financial investment were the barriers identified in our study. Knowledge and attitude of the population need to be influenced both in public dental health settings and in dental clinics to influence patients’ behavior in seeking regular dental advice, as well as developing correct expectations of the dynamics and success of a dental treatment procedure.