Utilization of dental services in a field practice area in Mangalore, Karnataka

Abstract

Oral health is the absence of disease and the optimal functioning of the mouth and its tissues, in a manner which helps to preserve high levels of self-esteem. Oral diseases such as dental caries, periodontitis and oral and pharyngeal cancers are a global health problem in both industrialized and especially in developing countries. In many developing countries, oral health care utilization is limited and teeth are often left untreated or extracted. Utilization is the actual attendance by the members of the public at health care facilities to receive care. Utilization, which measures the number of visits per year or the number of people with at least one visit during the previous year,(1) serves as an important tool for oral health policy decision-making.(1,2) The main objective of any health-care system is to maintain and improve health outcomes which depends on adequate knowledge of the way that the individuals use health services, and the factors predictive of this behavior.(3) Regular home oral care and a yearly dental check-up are the best means for caring teeth but in spite of the information on adequate dental care provided by the dental professionals and the mass media, many people fail to take these precautions.(4) Barriers to seeking dental services as classified by the Federation Dentaire Internationale are related to the following: Individuals themselves (lack of perceived need and access, anxiety or fear and financial considerations), Dental profession (inappropriate manpower resources, uneven geographical distribution, training inappropriate to changing needs and demands and insufficient sensitivity to patient’s attitudes and needs), and Society (insufficient public support of attitudes conducive to health, inadequate oral health care facilities, inadequate oral health manpower planning and insufficient support for research).(5)