Factors influencing dental care access in Jordanian adults

BMC Oral Health

Dafi Sultan Taani²  Amani Ghassan Alsa’di¹  Suhair Ref’at Obeidat¹ 

[1] Department of Applied Dental Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan;Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan

关键词: Jordan;    Survey;    Adults;    Barriers;    Regular dental attendance;    Dental care access;   

Others  :  1091490
DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6831-14-127

 received in 2014-07-08, accepted in 2014-10-10,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

The aims of this study are to assess the influences of demographic and personal factors on Jordanian adults’ abilities to use dental services and the barriers to regular attendance.

Methods

A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 650 Jordanian adults attending King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) (n = 200), Jordan University of Science and Technology–Dental Health Teaching Center (JUST–DHTC) (n = 150), Yarmouk University Health Clinics (YUHC) (n = 150), and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) clinics (n = 150). 614 questionnaires were completed. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data, generate descriptive statistics and perform multiple logistic regressions. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05.

Results

Approximately 93% of participants were dental services users. 89% were irregular users, while only 11% were regular users. The main reasons given for not visiting dental offices regularly were lack of time (39.2%), cost of treatment (26.9%), treatment not needed (22.2%), and fear of dentists (15.1%). Only 6.7% of respondents stated that they had never visited a dentist, while more than half (56.1%) reported the lack of need for dental treatment as a major reason for not using dental services. Restorative therapy was the most frequently sought treatment (61.6%), while periodontal treatment was the least frequently sought (14.1%). Although respondents who were married and/or those having missing teeth were significantly more likely to use dental services, respondents who were single were more likely to be regular attendees.

Conclusion

The overwhelming majority of adults were irregular attendees. Time and cost constraints, lack of need for treatment, and fear of dentists were reported as major barriers to regular attendance. The study findings call for planning of educational and promotional programs to increase Jordanians’ awareness of and regular use of available dental services to maintain health, which will be both socially and economically beneficial.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Obeidat et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Philadelphia Health Management Corporation: Community Health at the Crossroads: Local Health Trends from PHMC’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, 1990 to 2000. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Health Management Corporation; 2002.
• [2]Royal College of General Practitioners: What sort of doctor? Report from general practice No 23. London: Royal College of General Practitioners; 1985.
• [3]Rose LF, Steinberg BJ, Minsk L: The relationship between periodontal disease and systemic conditions. Compend Contin Educ Dent 2000, 21:870-877.
• [4]Penchansky R, Thomas JW: The concept of access: definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Med Care 1981, 1:127-140.
• [5]Starfield B: Primary care. Concept, evaluation, and policy. New York: Oxford University Press; 1992.
• [6]Gibson B: Access to dental services. In Access to health care. Edited by Gulliford M, Morgan M. London: Routledge; 2003:174-188.
• [7]Petersen PE: The world Oral health report 2003: Continuous improvement of oral health in the 21st century – the approach of the WHO Global Oral Health Programme. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2003, 31(Suppl 1):3-24.
• [8]Harford J, Ellershaw A, Stewart J: Access to dental care in Australia. Australian Dent J 2004, 49:206-208.
• [9]Woolfolk MW, Lang PW, Borgnakke WS, Taylor GW, Roni DL, Nyquist LV: Determining dental check up frequency. J Amer Dent Assoc 1999, 130:715-723.
• [10]Locker D, Maggirias J, Quiñonez C: Income, dental insurance coverage, and financial barriers to dental care among Canadian adults. J Public Health Dent 2011, 71:327-334.
• [11]Quteish Taani DS: Dental anxiety and regularity of dental attendance in younger adults. J Oral Rehabil 2002, 29:604-608.
• [12]Taani DQ: Periodontal awareness and knowledge, and pattern of dental attendance among adults in Jordan. Int Dent J 2002, 52:94-98.
• [13]Rajab LD, Petersen PE, Bakaeen G, Hamdan MA: Oral health behaviour of schoolchildren and parents in Jordan. Int J Paediatr Dent 2002, 12:168-176.
• [14]El-Qaderi SS, Taani DQ: Oral health knowledge and dental health practices among schoolchildren in Jerash district/Jordan. Int J Dent Hyg 2004, 2:78-85.
• [15]Taani DQ: Oral health in Jordan. Int Dent J 2004, 54:395-400.
• [16]Hamasha AA, Safadi RA: Coronal caries experience in dentate Jordanian adults. Community Dent Health 2008, 25:50-54.
• [17]Taani DQ: Dental attendance and anxiety among public and private school children in Jordan. Int Dent J 2002, 52:25-29.
• [18]Al-Omiri MK, Al-Wahadni AM, Saeed KN: Oral health attitudes, knowledge, and behavior among school children in North Jordan. J Dent Educ 2006, 70:179-187.
• [19]Poudyal S, Roa A, Shenoy R, Priya H: Utilization of dental services in field practice area in Mangalore, Karnataka. Indian J Community Med 2010, 35:424-425.
• [20]Mariño R, Khan A, Tham R, Khew CW, Stevenson C: Pattern and factors associated with utilization of dental services among older adults in rural Victoria. Aust Dent J 2014. in press
• [21]Listl S, Moeller J, Manski R: A multi-country comparison of reasons for dental non-attendance. Eur J Oral Sci 2014, 122:62-69.
• [22]Crocombe LA, Broadbent JM, Thomson WM, Brennan DS, Slade GD, Poulton R: Dental visiting trajectory patterns and their antecedents. J Public Health Dent 2011, 71:23-31.
• [23]Al-shammari KF, Al-Ansari JM, Al-Khabbaz AK, Honkala S: Barriers to seeking preventive dental care by Kuwaiti adults. Med Princ Pract 2007, 16:413-419.
• [24]Kakatkar G, Bhat N, Nagarajappa R, Prasad V, Sharda A, Asawa K, Agrawal A: Barriers to the Utilization of Dental Services in Udaipur. India J Dent (Tehran) 2011, 8:81-89.
• [25]Roberts-Thomson KF, Stewart JF: Access to dental care by young South Australian adults. Aust Dent J 2003, 48:169-174.
• [26]Edelstein BL: Disparities in oral health and access to care: findings of national surveys. Ambul Pediatr 2002, 2:141-147.
• [27]Gross-Panico ML, Freeman WK 3rd: Identifying barriers to receiving preventive dental services: expanding access to preventive dental hygiene services through affiliated practice. J Dent Hyg 2012, 86:306-314.
• [28]Freeman R: Barriers to accessing dental care: patient factors. British Dent J 1999, 187:141-144.
• [29]Halasa Y, Nandakumar AK: Factors determining choice of health care provider in Jordan. East Mediterr Health J 2009, 15:959-968.
• [30]Brennan D, Anikeeva O, Teusner D: Dental visiting by insurance and oral health impact. Aust Dent J 2013, 58:344-349.
• [31]Teusner DN, Brennan DS, Spencer AJ: Dental insurance, attitudes to dental care, and dental visiting. J Public Health Dent 2013, 73:103-111.
• [32]Carter KD, Stewart JF: National dental telephone interview survey 2002. Adelaide: AIHW dental statistics and research unit; 2002. AIHW cat. no. DEN 128