Factors associated with utilization of oral health services among adults aged 18-70 years in Lira district, Northern Uganda: a community based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Utilization of oral health services is a global public health challenge. Low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. Uganda is one of the low- and middle-income countries where only 4% of the population has access to oral health services. Northern Uganda is one of the regions in the country with limited information about oral health utilization.

OBJECTIVE

To assess factors associated with utilization of oral health services among adults aged 18-70 years in Lira district, Northern Uganda.

METHODS

This was a quantitative cross-sectional study conducted in Lira District. Multistage sampling was used to select 576 respondents. Data was collected using a researcher-administered structured questionnaire that was adopted, modified, and pretested. Data was analyzed at three levels, including univariate, bivariate, and multivariate at 0.05 significance level.

RESULTS

Of the 634 respondents, 576 responded, giving a 90.9% response rate. Results show that utilization of oral health services was 20.5% (118) among adults aged 18-70 years in 6 months. Predictors of utilization of oral services among this age group are: having not attended any formal education (AOR = 0.2, 95%CI 0.06-0.62), having poor attitudes towards oral health services (AOR = 0.55, 95%CI 0.34-0.89), having cultural influence on the utilization of the oral health services (AOR = 4.84, 95% CI 2.77-8.43), accessing the services from private not-for-profit facilities (AOR = 4.67, 95% CI 1.79-12.16), being un sure of the availability of the equipment used (AOR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.18-0.9), and availability of friendly services (AOR = 2.53, 95% CI 1.12-5.50).

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Utilization of oral health services is low in Lira district, with only 2 in 10 of the adults aged 18-70years of age utilizing oral health services in 6 months. To improve utilization, targeted health education campaigns should address cultural barriers and attitudes, while ensuring that public health facilities are better equipped and provide more user-friendly services.