Premium
Demand for dental care in Sri Lanka
Author(s) -
Warnakulasuriya Saman
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1985.tb01678.x
Subject(s) - medicine , sri lanka , dental care , dentistry , socioeconomics , sociology , tanzania
The demand for dental care was assessed among 3000 dental patients visiting an out‐patient clinic in Sri Lanka. 46% of the patients sought treatment for complaints related to advanced stages of dental caries whilst 18% requested treatment for early stages of decay. 20% had complaints related to periodontal disease of which two‐thirds had advanced symptoms of mobility. The majority of the demands reflect a need for emergency care such as exodontia and dressings for cavities, which is currently being carried out by dentists but could easily be done by auxiliaries at low cost.