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Perceived need and use of oral health services among adolescents and adults in Tanzania
Author(s) -
Mosha Hiasinti Joseph,
Scheutz Flemming
Publication year - 1993
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.1600-0528.1993.tb00736.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tanzania , logistic regression , odds ratio , odds , ordered logit , oral health , demography , family medicine , environmental health , statistics , socioeconomics , mathematics , pathology , sociology
– The perceived need and use of oral health services among adolescents and adults in Tanzania were studied. One region from each of the country's five zones was chosen at random. Final sample selection ( n = 1061) was done in the main towns of the selected regions. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire which dealt with perceived need for dental treatment and use of oral health services and several demographic variables. Frequency tables were computed and analyzed. Odds ratios were calculated based on 2 × 2 tables and logistic regression models. The majority, 82% (95% CI: 79‐85%) had sought treatment due to pain or for tooth extraction. Perceived need, dissatisfaction with own oral health status and use of oral health services were slightly more frequent among women. Bleeding gums had no explanatory value on the dependent variables. The strongest explanatory variable in a logistic regression model for perceived need and dissatisfaction with own oral health status was previous dental treatment with an estimated odds ratio of 6.4 (95% CI: 4.7‐8.7) and 7.2 (95% CI: 5.3‐9.9), respectively. People living nearest a treatment facility tended to use the services more [odds ratio 1.3 (95% CI: 0.8‐2.1)]. A very strong relation between previous dental problems and use of oral health services was found, namely an odds ratio of 68.8 (95% CI: 39.0‐121.4). The findings in the study may be useful in the attempts to implement Tanzania's National Plan for Oral Health.