Patient Satisfaction And Low OPD At Dental Colleges: Review Literature

Abstract

Health is one of the most challenging sectors in the underdeveloped and developing countries. In countries like India where majority of population do not have access to medical health; oral health is of least importance. Prevalence of dental diseases has been steadily increasing over the years especially oral cancerous lesions. However despite the improved dentist to population ratio and substantial increase in number of dental college we are yet to achieve the desired oral health status as the problem lies not in number but on the distribution of college and dental surgeon. Increased appointment time and OPD procedure followed by dental college were cited as the major reason for low OPD at Dental Colleges. There is urgent need to bring about certain changes in the oral health programme and OPD procedure followed by the dental colleges and hospital. Use of Information Technology to streamline the OPD procedure should be implemented. Effort should be made to make the dental services as accessible to the general population as possible. Tax incentives and benefits for dentist and dental hospital opened at rural area should be thought of. Dental post at every PHC's should be created so as to make dental treatment accessible to population along with medical facilities.

Patients' satisfaction with oral health care provided at the University Dental clinic in Tanzania: A cross‐sectional analytical study

“…[2][3][4] Evaluation of patients' satisfaction has become a basic concern of clinical practice 5 because satisfied patients are more likely to show positive illness behaviors. 6 Response to satisfaction with dental care is fundamental for continuous improvement of the service delivery process and outcome 7 because the satisfaction of the patient with the services can be measured in terms of access, convenience, cost, pain, and quality. 8 Therefore, understanding these factors may help dental professionals appreciate the complexities involved in the attitude and behavior of the general public toward oral health care.…”