Perceived dental treatment need among older Tanzanian adults – a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundNeed perceptions for dental care play a key role as to whether people in general will seek dental care. The aim was to assess the prevalence of perceived need of problem based dental care, dental check-ups and any type of dental care. Guided by the conceptual model of Wilson and Cleary, the relationship of perceived need for dental care with socio-demographic characteristics, clinically defined dental problems and self-reported oral health outcomes was investigated. Partial prosthetic treatment need was estimated using a socio-dental approach.MethodA cross-sectional survey was conducted in Pwani region and in Dar es Salaam in 2004/2005. Information from interviews and clinical examination became available for 511 urban and 520 rural adults (mean age 62.9 yr).Results51.7% (95% CI 46.2, 57.0) urban and 62.5 % (95% CI 53.1, 70.9) rural inhabitants confirmed need for dental check-up, 42.9% (95% CI 36.9, 48.9) urban and 52.7% (95% CI 44.5, 60.6) rural subjects confirmed need for problem oriented care and 38.4% (95% CI 32.4, 44.6) urban versus 49.6% (95% CI 41.8, 57.4) rural residents reported need for any type of dental care. Binary and ordinal multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that adults who reported bad oral health and broken teeth were more likely to perceive need for dental care across the three outcome measures than their counterparts. Socio-demographic factors and clinically defined problems had less impact. Based on a normative and an integrated socio-dental approach respectively 39.5% and 4.7% were in need for partial dentures.ConclusionAbout half of the participants confirmed need for problem oriented care, dental check-ups and any type of dental care. Need perceptions were influenced by perceived oral health, clinically assessed oral problems and socio-demographic characteristics. Need estimates for partial denture was higher when based on clinical examination alone compared to an integrative socio-dental approach.

Dental pain, oral impacts and perceived need for dental treatment in Tanzanian school students: a cross-sectional study

“…Consistent with theory and empirical findings, impaired OHRQoL was positively associated with perceived need for dental care in Kilwa students, indicating that a full understanding of young people's need for dental care cannot be captured by clinical indicators alone. These findings are consistent with previous reports, suggesting that self-evaluations of oral health status rather than disease presence per se are the primary determinants of perceived dental treatment needs [ 13 , 38 , 39 ]. Consistent with results of previous studies in older age groups, the present findings suggest that normatively assessed and perceived need for dental care differs among Tanzanian primary schoolchildren [ 38 ].…”

“…These findings are consistent with previous reports, suggesting that self-evaluations of oral health status rather than disease presence per se are the primary determinants of perceived dental treatment needs [ 13 , 38 , 39 ]. Consistent with results of previous studies in older age groups, the present findings suggest that normatively assessed and perceived need for dental care differs among Tanzanian primary schoolchildren [ 38 ]. The present results provide insight into what oral impacts guide Kilwa students' perceived need for dental care.…”

Variation in subjective oral health indicators of 65-year-olds in Norway and Sweden

“…Thus, the model performed equally well in both study populations, explaining almost the same amount of variation in oral health satisfaction. In accordance with other studies [23,27], oral health indicators at the various levels of the conceptual hierarchy influenced the overall responses to oral health status positively and significantly, but differently.…”

Primary oral health care and smiles for life curriculum adaptation for nurses training in low income countries: A case of Tanzanian context

“…A study conducted in coast region in Tanzania revealed that about half of the elderly had a problem oriented care. [22] The most common oral care carried out in public dental clinics is tooth extractions. [23][24][25] Additionally, the limited number of dental clinics that offer restorative care in Tanzania has been as an obstacle towards accessing restorative services when needed.…”