Barrier-free dental health care: A situation analysis of the dental care settings and providers' attitudes in private dental clinics for the movement-disabled in Bengaluru City

Abstract

Introduction: Movement-disabled individuals require oral health care like everyone else. However, they face a multitude of accessibility issues. Since private dental clinics are the most commonly utilized type of oral health care in India, it becomes pertinent to know how accessible these clinics are for movement-disabled individuals. Aim: To assess the accessibility of private dental clinics in Bengaluru city to movement-disabled people. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a random sample of 250 dentists practicing at private dental clinics in Bengaluru city using a structured questionnaire. The data were entered into the Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and were analyzed. Chi-square test was done to assess the association of dentists' previous experience in treating mobility-disabled patients and their attitude toward treating such patients. Results: In the current study, 81.2% (203) of the respondents expressed willingness to treat mobility-disabled individuals. However, wheelchair provision was present in only 15.6% (39) of the clinic, and only one-fifth of the clinics had a slope or ramp for facilitating entry of wheelchair-bound individuals. Gurneys, stretchers, and ceiling-mounted lifts were present in <10% of the private dental clinics. The reasons for poor accessibility to movement disabled were reported as lack of financial resources followed by lack of utilization of facilities by movement-disabled individuals. Conclusion: The dentists displayed favorable attitude toward treating movement-disabled individuals. However, only a few private dental clinics met the architectural requirements and were equipped for treating such patients.