Jessani Abbas, Quadri Mir Faeq Ali, Lefoka Pulane, El-Rabbany Abdul, Hooper Kirsten, Lim Hyun Ja, Ndobe Eketsang, Brondani Mario, Laronde Denise M
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.
Dental Public Health, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jizan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
Children (Basel). 2021 Feb 7;8(2):120. doi: 10.3390/children8020120.
This study aimed to characterize the best predictors for unmet dental treatment needs and patterns of dental service utilization by adolescents in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Southern Africa. A self-reported 40-item oral health survey was administered, and clinical oral examinations were conducted in public schools in Maseru from August 10 to August 25, 2016. Associations between psychosocial factors with oral health status and dental service utilization were evaluated using simple, bivariate, and multivariate regressions. Five hundred and twenty-six survey responses and examinations were gathered. The mean age of student participants was 16.4 years of age, with a range between 12 and 19 years of age. More than two thirds (68%; = 355) of participants were female. The majority reported their quality of life (84%) and general health to be good/excellent (81%). While 95% reported that oral health was very important, only 11% reported their personal dental health as excellent. Three percent reported having a regular family dentist, with the majority (85%) receiving dental care in a hospital or medical clinic setting; only 14% had seen a dental professional within the previous two years. The majority of participants did not have dental insurance (78%). Clinical examination revealed tooth decay on 30% of mandibular and maxillary molars; 65% had some form of gingivitis. In multivariate analysis, not having dental education and access to a regular dentist were the strongest predictors of not visiting a dentist within the last year. Our results suggest that access to oral health care is limited in Lesotho. Further patient oral health education and regular dental care may make an impact on this population.
本研究旨在确定非洲南部莱索托王国青少年未满足的牙科治疗需求的最佳预测因素以及牙科服务利用模式。2016年8月10日至8月25日，在马塞卢的公立学校进行了一项40项自我报告的口腔健康调查，并开展了临床口腔检查。使用简单回归、双变量回归和多变量回归评估心理社会因素与口腔健康状况及牙科服务利用之间的关联。共收集到526份调查回复和检查结果。参与学生的平均年龄为16.4岁，年龄范围在12至19岁之间。超过三分之二（68%；n = 355）的参与者为女性。大多数人报告其生活质量（84%）和总体健康状况良好/极佳（81%）。虽然95%的人报告口腔健康非常重要，但只有11%的人认为自己的个人牙齿健康状况极佳。3%的人报告有固定的家庭牙医，大多数人（85%）在医院或医疗诊所接受牙科护理；只有14%的人在过去两年内看过牙科专业人员。大多数参与者没有牙科保险（78%）。临床检查发现30%的下颌和上颌磨牙有龋齿；65%的人有某种形式的牙龈炎。在多变量分析中，未接受牙科教育以及没有固定牙医是过去一年未看牙医的最强预测因素。我们的结果表明，莱索托的口腔保健服务获取有限。进一步开展患者口腔健康教育和定期牙科护理可能会对这一人群产生影响。
