A comparative examination of the role of need in the relationship between dental service use and socio-economic status across respondents with distinct needs using data from the Scottish Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in oral health and distinct patterns in service use related to socio-economic status have been shown to exist in the United Kingdom. A number of studies have used the Andersen behavioural model to better understand the factors that influence utilization and thereby inform policies aimed at improving service uptake. As the nature of need may differ across distinct types of patients, however, so too may the distribution of enabling and pre-disposing factors and observed relationships between need, other factors and service use. In this study we compare samples with distinct self-assessed needs in terms of their characteristics and patterns of service use to compare application of the Andersen model to dental services among respondents to a population based survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were taken from the Scottish Health Survey, for 2019. Data on service use, oral hygiene habits, perceived treatment need, and socio-demographic characteristics were extracted. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests and ordered logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred forty-eight usable responses were obtained from the survey, 74.95% of the sample had visited the dentist less than a year ago, 11.82% between 1 year and up to 2 years ago, 7.12% between 2 and 5 years ago and 6.10% more than 5 years. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and ordered logistic regression analyses revealed distinct patterns of service use when the sample was partitioned based on perceived treatment need. Specifically those with self-assessed treatment need were older, more likely to smoke, be male and be less likely to have a degree than those who did not. While service use was positively related to age (predisposing) among those who did not have self-assessed treatment need, it was negatively related for those with perceived treatment need. Distinct patterns were also evident with respect to sugar exposure (need) and ease with which time off work could be organised (enabling). DISCUSSION: The study shows common and distinct patterns of service use related to enabling and predisposing factors across groups differentiated by self-perceived treatment need. If inequalities in health and healthcare use are to be addressed, it is important to understand their origins. Conflation of distinct types of need that may correlate with predisposing and enabling factors complicates this. CONCLUSION: In applying the Andersen model, it is important to take account of potential differences in the types of need expressed where possible to understand the role of other variables in service use.

Satisfaction with dental care services in Great Britain 1998-2019.

BACKGROUND: Satisfaction with dental services can provide valuable insights into aspects of quality including access as well as changes in this over time. In the UK publicly funded dental services are ostensibly delivered by private sector general dental practitioners for whom private patients represent an opportunity cost to the provision of care to public patients. This study examined changes in satisfaction as economic circumstances and policy changed in Britain between 1998 and 2019. METHODS: Data were taken from successive waves of the British Social Attitudes Survey a representative cross-sectional survey of the population between 1998 and 2019. Descriptive statistics and a series of logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between satisfaction and a range of socio-demographic characteristics over time. RESULTS: 37,328 usable responses were extracted from the survey spanning 21 years of data. Over the course of the survey approximately 71% of the sample was very satisfied, satisfied or neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with publicly funded dental services. Satisfaction fell at the outset of the study period but rose following the economic downturn from 2008 which coincided with increased use of publicly funded services. Differences were evident in satisfaction between older versus younger respondents, more affluent versus less affluent respondents and better educated versus less well-educated respondents. Satisfaction did not appear to change in response to policy changes. CONCLUSION: Satisfaction is an important outcome of service provision. Policies aiming to improve satisfaction with publicly funded dental care in the UK must take account of the competing demands on dentists' time from private patients. At times of economic expansion or when supply has been disrupted, these may be particularly acute and require specific interventions to improve access for those who depend on public services.

Factors influencing the likelihood of dental service checkup: results from a survey in Saudi Arabia.

Background: The funding and delivery of healthcare including dental care in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA, or Saudi Arabia) is undergoing a process of reform. To inform this process, it is important that policymakers are aware of the relationships between service use, specific types of use, and the factors that influence this. Currently, there is a paucity of research in this area in KSA that examines dental service use for checkups at a national level and none that examines differences in this use across regions or that examines explicitly the role of income. Aims: This study uses the most recent version of the Saudi Health Interview Survey (SHIS) to examine the relationships between the use of dental services for a checkup and socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. Particular focus is given to the differences between regions in service use and the role of socio-demographics within regions. Methods: Data were taken from SHIS 2013. Descriptive statistics (means and standard errors) were used to characterize the sample. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between checkups in the past 12 months and a range of covariates including income and region. The analysis was repeated for sub-samples based on specific regions. No attempt was made to impute missing values. Results: A sample of 7603 respondents provided complete data for analysis. Fifty-one per cent of the respondents were male, 29% were educated at least to degree level, 25% reported that they floss at least once per day, 69% reported that they brushed their teeth at least once per day, and 11% reported that they had visited the dentist for a checkup in the preceding 12 months. Logistic regression analyses revealed income, region, and oral hygiene habits to be among the significant determinants of the likelihood of dental checkup in the preceding 12 months. In logistic regression analyses at the regional level, different relationships were evident between checkups and socio-demographic characteristics across regions. Conclusion: Region and income are significant determinants of dental service use for checkups. Differences exist between regions in the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and the likelihood of getting checkups. Policy changes should reflect the potential differences they might have across regions for which the role of socio-demographic characteristics varies.

Parental Attitude and Awareness toward Preventive Dentistry in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Preventive oral health of a child is dependent on the parental knowledge toward caries control, care of deciduous tooth, use of space maintainers for malocclusion, and utilization of various procedures available for preventing oral diseases by oral health professionals. This study was aimed to assess the attitude and awareness of preventive dentistry among parents residing in Riyadh city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional, questionnaire study was conducted among 300 male parents. Questionnaire was sent through the use of social media, and responses were collected. RESULTS: Seventy-four percent of male Saudi parents were aware of prevention of oral diseases. 38.45% of male parents were aware of preventive dentistry procedure, but preventive dentistry utilization rate was seen among 6% population only. Attitude toward the prevention of oral disease was statistically not significant according to the age group and income but statistically significant according to education. The utilization of preventive procedures was significant according to education and income (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Awareness about preventive dentistry was more among Saudi parents but utilization rate was directly correlated to their education and income. After The utilization of preventive procedures was significant according to education and income (P < 0.05).

Prevalence and public knowledge regarding tooth bleaching in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, cosmetic dentistry has become one of the most important sections of dentistry because patients care about the appearance of their smile with their general health. Hence, the present study was conducted to find the prevalence of public knowledge regarding tooth bleaching in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross sectional study with cluster sampling method was carried out in the central, northern, southern, eastern, and western regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A modified close ended questionnaire in Arabic/English language was distributed among randomly selected shopping malls and social media (WhatsApp and Twitter) via link in Google Sheet. The survey questionnaires were distributed systematically to individuals entering the malls. The survey items were divided into two sections that included sociodemographic data and knowledge subscales. Regression analysis was done to measure the factors influencing the overall impression of bleaching/tooth whitening. RESULTS: The sample comprised a total of 2543 respondents, of whom there were 1190 males (46.8%) and 1353 females (53.2%). When the population was asked the perceived or actual complication of bleaching, it was observed that the majority of those surveyed felt that there was either a real or perceived threat of tooth sensitivity followed by burning of the gums. CONCLUSION: Most of the participants heard about tooth bleaching via advertisements, and most of them have used home bleaching more than professional bleaching. Respondents with frequent dental visits had higher levels of knowledge on tooth bleaching compared to respondents with a lack of dental visits.