Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · European Journal of General Dentistry 2016; 5(02): 74-79
DOI: 10.4103/2278-9626.179546
Original Article

Utilization of dental services among secondary school students in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Joycelyn Odegua Eigbobo
Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
,
Chinonso Claude Obiajunwa
Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
  PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Background: Regular use of dental services has been associated with optimal oral health. Reports in some parts of Nigeria have shown the poor utilization of dental services, but there is a paucity of information relating to oral health care seeking behavior in the South-South region of Nigeria. Aim: To determine the pattern of utilization and identify barriers to utilization of dental services among children. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done among children aged 12-15 years in secondary schools in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Information was elicited by means of a self-administered structured questionnaire. These included sociodemographic characteristics, views on dental visits, reported visits during the previous year, pattern of dental visits, and the barriers to utilization. Demographic variables and associations were tested using Chi-squared tests with the level of statistical significance set at P < 0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Results: There were 200 school children; 98 (49%) males and 102 (51%) females with a mean age of 13.3 (±1.1) years. Dental visits were deemed important by 187 (93.5%) children, and 32.0% respondents suggested that visits should be when there are symptoms. Only 42 (21%) pupils had been to the dentist in the last 12 months. The barriers to utilization of dental services majorly included no perceived needs (64.3%). Demographic variables had no significant association with reported visits and pattern of visits. Conclusion: Utilization of dental services among these school children was low and the major barrier was no perceived need. Oral health awareness needs to be improved on the importance of a regular checkup.

Keywords

Dental services - dental visits - Port Harcourt - school children


Publication History

Article published online:
01 November 2021

© 2016. European Journal of General Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India

 

  • References

  • 1 Eigbobo JO, Onyeaso CO, Okolo NI. Pattern of presentation of oral health conditions among children at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Brazilian Research in Pediatric Dentistry and Integrated Clinic 2011;11:105-9.
  • 2 US General Accounting Office. Oral Health: Dental Disease is a Chronic Problem Among Low-Income Populations and Vulnerable Populations. Washington, DC: US General Accounting Office; 2000.
  • 3 Folayan MO, Chukwumah NM, Onyejaka N, Adeniyi AA, Olatosi OO. Appraisal of the national response to the caries epidemic in children in Nigeria. BMC Oral Health 2014;14:76.
  • 4 Wall TP, Vujicic M, Nasseh K. Recent trends in the utilization of dental care in the United States. J Dent Educ 2012;76:1020-7.
  • 5 Donaldson AN, Everitt B, Newton T, Steele J, Sherriff M, Bower E. The effects of social class and dental attendance on oral health. J Dent Res 2008;87:60-4.
  • 6 Brown LJ, Lazar V. Dental care utilization: How saturated is the patient market? J Am Dent Assoc 1999;130:573-80.
  • 7 Saddki N, Yusoff A, Hwang YL. Factors associated with dental visit and barriers to utilisation of oral health care services in a sample of antenatal mothers in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. BMC Public Health 2010;10:75.
  • 8 Taiwo OA, Soyele OO, Ndubuizu GU. Pattern of utilization of dental services at Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, Northwest Nigeria. Sahel Med J 2014;17:108-11.
  • 9 Sofola OO, Uti OG, Emeka O. Access to oral health care for HIV patients in Nigeria: Role of attending physicians. Afr J Oral Health 2004;1:37-41.
  • 10 Al-Hussyeen AJ. Factors affecting utilization of dental health services and satisfaction among adolescent females in Riyadh City. Saudi Dent J 2010;22:19-25.
  • 11 Denloye O, Ajayi D, Bankole O, Popoola B. Dental service utilization among junior secondary school students in Ibadan, Nigeria. Pediatr Dent J 2010;20:177-81.
  • 12 Akaji EA, Oredugba FA, Jeboda SO. Utilization of dental services among secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria. Niger Dent J 2007;15:87-91.
  • 13 Scott G, Brodeur JM, Olivier M, Benigeri M. Parental factors associated with regular use of dental services by second-year secondary school students in Quebec. J Can Dent Assoc 2002;68:604-8.
  • 14 Ajayi EO, Ajayi YO. Utilization of dental services in a population of Nigerian university students. Niger Dent J 2007;15:83-6.
  • 15 Braimoh OB, Ofili AN. Utilisation of dental services among patients in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria. J Oral Health Community Dent 2013;7:91-4.
  • 16 Ajayi DM, Arigbede AO. Barriers to oral health care utilization in Ibadan, South West Nigeria. Afr Health Sci 2012;12:507-13.
  • 17 John JB, Asokan S, Aswanth KP, Priya PR, Shanmugaavel AK. Dental caries and the associated factors influencing it in tribal, suburban and urban school children of Tamil Nadu, India: A cross sectional study. J Public Health Res 2015;4:361.
  • 18 Amin MS, Perez A, Nyachhyon P. Barriers to utilization of dental services for children among low-income families in Alberta. J Can Dent Assoc 2014;80:e51.
  • 19 Dye BA, Vargas CM, Lee JJ, Magder L, Tinanoff N. Assessing the relationship between children′s oral health status and that of their mothers. J Am Dent Assoc 2011;142:173-83.
  • 20 Giannobile WV, Braun TM, Caplis AK, Doucette-Stamm L, Duff GW, Kornman KS. Patient stratification for preventive care in dentistry. J Dent Res 2013;92:694-701.
  • 21 Beil HA, Rozier RG. Primary health care providers′ advice for a dental checkup and dental use in children. Pediatrics 2010;126:e435-41.
  • 22 American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Guideline on caries-risk assessment and management for infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatr Dent 2013;35:E157-64.
  • 23 Okoye L, Ekwueme O. Prevalence of dental caries in a Nigerian rural community: A preliminary local survey. Ann Med Health Sci Res 2011;1:187-95.
  • 24 Okeigbemen SA. The prevalence of dental caries among 12 to 15-year-old school children in Nigeria: Report of a local survey and campaign. Oral Health Prev Dent 2004;2:27-31.
  • 25 Ogunrinde TJ, Oyewole OE, Dosumu OO. Dental care knowledge and practices among secondary school adolescents in Ibadan North Local Government Areas of Oyo State, Nigeria. European J Gen Dent 2015;4:68-73.
  • 26 Mhagama M, Mwangosi IE. Awareness and utilization of dental services among secondary school student in Moshi municipality. Tanzan Dent J 2010;16:44-7.
  • 27 Gao X, Hamzah SH, Yiu CK, McGrath C, King NM. Dental fear and anxiety in children and adolescents: Qualitative study using YouTube. J Med Internet Res 2013;15:e29.
  • 28 Ukeje CN, Agbelusi GA, Jeboda SO. Presenting complaints of patients at the oral diagnosis clinic of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Nig Q J Hosp Med 2000;10:121-5.
  • 29 Adeniyi AA, Onajole AT. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS): A survey of knowledge and opinions of Nigerian dentists′ in Lagos. Afr J Med Med Sci 2010;39:29-35.
  • 30 Osibogun A. Crises and challenges in the Nigerian health sector. J Community Med Prim Health Care 2004;16:1-7.
  • 31 Camargo MB, Barros AJ, Frazão P, Matijasevich A, Santos IS, Peres MA, et al. Predictors of dental visits for routine check-ups and for the resolution of problems among preschool children. Rev Saude Publica 2012;46:87-97.