Tharshini Priya, Selvamary Leena, Narayanan Aswath, S G Ramesh Kumar, A Sujatha
Department of Public Health Dentistry, MP Smile Care, Coimbatore, IND.
Department of Public Health dentistry, Tamil Nadu Government Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Jan 27;16(1):e53037. doi: 10.7759/cureus.53037. eCollection 2024 Jan.
Access to effective oral health care is crucial for a good quality of life. Unfortunately, many individuals face barriers in accessing the necessary oral health care services. By examining various factors, we can gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by the population and work towards improving oral health care outcomes. This study aims to assess the various factors contributing to unfavorable oral healthcare-seeking behavior in Chennai city.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chennai city involving six hundred and twenty-four individuals from the general population from 12 wards by lottery method. The data collection process involved interviews using a pre-designed questionnaire, through which demographic information was gathered. The Penchansky and Thomas model was employed to assess barriers in service utilization. All completed questionnaires were included in the data analysis, which was performed using SPSS version 20.
In the present study, among the various dimensions of access suggested by Penchansky and Thomas, the major reason for unfavorable oral healthcare-seeking behavior was accommodation (54.8%), followed by affordability (20.2%), accessibility (5.6%), acceptability (4.4%), and availability (1.1%). The other reasons that contributed were sociocultural factors (26.4%), lack of awareness (20.8%), and psychosocial factors (11.8%).
The present study highlights lack of time as the major factor contributing to unfavourable oral healthcare-seeking behaviour in an urban population. This finding contrasts with previous studies that have focussed on the lack of awareness about dental diseases and the high cost of dental treatment in rural areas.
获得有效的口腔保健对于高质量生活至关重要。不幸的是，许多人在获得必要的口腔保健服务方面面临障碍。通过研究各种因素，我们可以更好地了解人群所面临的挑战，并努力改善口腔保健结果。本研究旨在评估导致钦奈市不良口腔保健寻求行为的各种因素。
在钦奈市进行了一项横断面研究，通过抽签法从12个病房的普通人群中选取了624名个体。数据收集过程包括使用预先设计的问卷进行访谈，借此收集人口统计学信息。采用彭钱斯基和托马斯模型评估服务利用中的障碍。所有完成的问卷都纳入数据分析，使用SPSS 20版进行分析。
在本研究中，在彭钱斯基和托马斯提出的各种获取维度中，不良口腔保健寻求行为的主要原因是便利性（54.8%），其次是可承受性（20.2%）、可达性（5.6%）、可接受性（4.4%）和可得性（1.1%）。其他促成因素包括社会文化因素（26.4%）、缺乏意识（20.8%）和心理社会因素（11.8%）。
本研究强调时间不足是城市人群不良口腔保健寻求行为的主要促成因素。这一发现与以往关注农村地区对牙科疾病缺乏认识和牙科治疗成本高昂的研究形成对比。
