Ali Kamran, Zahra Daniel, Bashir Ulfat, Raja Hina Zafar, Alkhtib Asmaa, Younas Minahil Arujj, Manzoor Ummara, Shakoor Asma, Khalid Mariya, Mansoor Amna, Hakeem Saman, Mumtaz Maryam, Raja Mahwish
QU Health College of Dental Medicine, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
School of Psychology, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK.
Health Expect. 2025 Feb;28(1):e70177. doi: 10.1111/hex.70177.
Access to dental services is a core component of public healthcare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions and experiences of the public regarding access, quality and affordability of dental services in Pakistan.
It was an analytical cross-sectional study based on an online survey. The data collection instrument was based on eight items related to participant perceptions and experiences of dental services in public and private sectors. Pretesting of the survey questionnaire was done, and the target participants were approached through social media, and dental service providers.
A total of 1007 participants representing all provinces of the country responded to the study questionnaire including 54.32% (n = 547) females and 45.68% (n = 460) males. Education and financial status showed the largest effect on perceptions. Although all groups agreed that dental professionals contribute positively to improving public health, those in the 'No Education' or 'Poor' groups showed fewer positive perceptions about the accessibility, quality, and affordability of dental services. Perceptions of dental services between genders showed minimal differences. Chi-squared tests of association showed significant (p < 0.001) relationships between personal awareness of oral health and respondent characteristics such as education, employment, financial status and location.
This study provides useful insights into the public perceptions and experiences of dental health services in Pakistan. The findings reveal disparities in access, quality, and affordability of dental services among disadvantaged groups, particularly within the public sector. Oral health awareness was also reported to be low amongst people with low educational and financial status. Given the limitations of the current study, further research using qualitative methods may provide a more in-depth understanding of the facilitators and barriers to dental services to inform a major reform to improve public dental services in the country.
PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT (PPIE): Members of the public with previous experience of using dental services were involved in pretesting of the study questionnaire Pretesting of the survey questionnaire was done in two phases: In the first phase, cognitive interviews were conducted with eight members of the public including four participants each with proficiency in English and Urdu. The purpose of the cognitive interviews was to determine that the participants were able to comprehend all items of the questionnaire accurately. In the second phase the questionnaire was piloted with 15 members of the public who were given a choice to answer the questionnaire in English or Urdu based on their individual preference.
获得牙科服务是公共医疗保健的核心组成部分。本研究的目的是评估巴基斯坦公众对牙科服务的可及性、质量和可承受性的看法和体验。
这是一项基于在线调查的分析性横断面研究。数据收集工具基于与参与者对公共和私营部门牙科服务的看法和体验相关的八个项目。对调查问卷进行了预测试，并通过社交媒体和牙科服务提供者联系目标参与者。
来自该国所有省份的1007名参与者对研究问卷做出了回应，其中女性占54.32%（n = 547），男性占45.68%（n = 460）。教育程度和经济状况对看法的影响最大。尽管所有群体都认为牙科专业人员对改善公众健康有积极贡献，但“未受过教育”或“贫困”群体对牙科服务的可及性、质量和可承受性的积极看法较少。不同性别对牙科服务的看法差异最小。卡方关联检验显示，个人口腔健康意识与受访者的特征（如教育程度、就业情况、经济状况和地点）之间存在显著（p < 0.001）关系。
本研究为巴基斯坦公众对牙科健康服务的看法和体验提供了有用的见解。研究结果揭示了弱势群体在牙科服务的可及性、质量和可承受性方面存在差异，特别是在公共部门。据报告，教育程度和经济状况较低的人群口腔健康意识也较低。鉴于本研究的局限性，使用定性方法进行进一步研究可能会更深入地了解牙科服务的促进因素和障碍，为该国改善公共牙科服务的重大改革提供参考。
患者和公众参与及参与度（PPIE）：有使用牙科服务经验的公众成员参与了研究问卷的预测试。调查问卷的预测试分两个阶段进行：在第一阶段，对八名公众成员进行了认知访谈，其中包括四名精通英语和乌尔都语的参与者。认知访谈的目的是确定参与者能够准确理解问卷的所有项目。在第二阶段，对15名公众成员进行了问卷试测，他们可以根据个人喜好选择用英语或乌尔都语回答问卷。
