Utilization of dental care: An Indian outlook

Abstract

Oral health has a significant impact on the quality of life, appearance, and self-esteem of the people. Preventive dental visits help in the early detection and treatment of oral diseases. Dental care utilization can be defined as the percentage of the population who access dental services over a specified period of time. There are reports that dental patients only visit the dentist when in pain and never bother to return for follow-up in most cases. To improve oral health outcomes an adequate knowledge of the way the individuals use health services and the factors predictive of this behavior is essential. The interest in developing models explaining the utilization of dental services has increased; issues like dental anxiety, price, income, the distance a person had to travel to get care, and preference for preservation of teeth are treated as barriers in regular dental care. Published materials which pertain to the use of dental services by Indian population have been reviewed and analyzed in depth in the present study. Dental surgeons and dental health workers have to play an adequate role in facilitating public enlightenment that people may appreciate the need for regular dental care and make adequate and proper use of the available dental care facilities.

Oral Health Morbidities and Unmet Needs in seeking Dental Health Care among Schoolchildren from a Low Socioeconomic Locality in Mumbai, India

“…Patients are not covered under any type of insurance and generally pay out of their pockets to get treatment from both public and private dentists. 18 Strategies that target parents and not just children may also help to address oral health disparities in children as it has been reported that parental dental care behaviors have an important effect on the health behavior of their children.…”

Factors influencing Oral Health and Utilization of Oral Health Care in an Indian Fishing Community, Mangaluru City, India

“…Cost of the treatment has a recognized influence on the utilization of oral health services. 25 About 3% individuals never visited the dentist because they were afraid of the dental treatment. Various studies have shown that high levels of dental anxiety are associated with reduced or irregular dental care utilization or seeking care only in case of emergency.…”

Human Immunodeficiency Virus-related Understanding among Dental Students and Faculty of an Urban Indian Dental School

“…India has a large number of dental schools that are distributed across the country, many of which are located in urban settings, where HIV prevalence is high. 12 The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institute (Ref.…”