Dental clinic attendance in Soweto, South Africa, before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To compare patient attendance rates 1 year before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services in Soweto, South Africa.

METHODS:

Monthly clinic records for clinic attendance, both casual and booked, and number of dental operators were recorded 1 year either side of April 1996.

RESULTS:

Patient attendance fluctuated by day and season. There was a mean 46% increase in attendance after free primary dental health services were introduced, with more than a sixfold increase in casual attendees (pain, sepsis) than in booked patients (restorative treatment, dentures, orthodontics).

CONCLUSIONS:

There was a statistically significant increase in casual patient attendance in the year after free primary dental health care was introduced with an increased dental operator load.

• Authors: Ahmed Bhayat, Peter Cleaton-Jones
• Journal: Community dentistry and oral epidemiology (Community Dent Oral Epidemiol) Vol. 31 Issue 2 Pg. 105-10 (Apr 2003) ISSN: 0301-5661 [Print] Denmark
• PMID: 12641590 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Topics

• Appointments and Schedules
• Dental Auxiliaries (statistics & numerical data)
• Dental Care (statistics & numerical data)
• Dental Clinics (economics, statistics & numerical data)
• Dental Health Services (economics)
• Dental Prophylaxis (statistics & numerical data)
• Dental Restoration, Permanent (statistics & numerical data)
• Dentists (statistics & numerical data)
• Dentures (statistics & numerical data)
• Fees, Dental
• Follow-Up Studies
• Health Services Accessibility (statistics & numerical data)
• Humans
• Orthodontics, Corrective (statistics & numerical data)
• Pain Management
• Primary Health Care (economics)
• Sepsis (therapy)
• South Africa