Dental Services And Their Awareness And Utilisation Among The Health Care Workers In A South Indian District- A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: To assess the level of utilization of dental health care services and to determine barriers that prevent utilization of dental health‑care services among the patients in a south Indian district.

Methodology: A cross‑sectional study was carried out among 600 health care workers (HCW). A multistage sampling method was followed. The source of data was primary in nature and it was obtained through self‑administered questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed using a software program IBM SPSS Statistics version 22 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) (P < 0.05).

Results: Only 36% of HCWs had visited the dentist in the last 12 months. Males (54%) visited dentist more frequently than females (46%). The most common reported reasons for the last dental visit were pain or a dental emergency (71%), followed by restorative treatment (17%) and other reasons (12%). The most commonly reported reasons for not seeking dental care were “Not needed unless having pain” by 360 (60%).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that only a small portion of HCWs visit a dentist. Most of them believe that visiting dentist is necessary only for pain relief.