Georeferencing of current dental service locations in the Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia: A geographical information system-based approach

Abstract

Background: This study focused on the Jazan region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To date, there has not been any documented evidence about geographical distribution of dental health-care services in the region. The study aimed to assess the geographical accessibility of dental health-care services in Jazan. Materials and Methods: Most recent, openly accessible, nonidentifiable data and information were used in this study. The location of health facilities was obtained from the Ministry of Health (MOH) Statistical Yearbook 2020 and interactive map of the MOH, which was converted to longitude and latitude, using Google Maps with 90% of the level building. The study data to be analyzed were imported from the integrated database in Quantum Geographic Information Systems into Microsoft Excel software, where the ratios of health-care facilities to the study population were computed. Results: There were 145 primary health cares (PHCs) and 19 hospitals with a dental component in the Jazan region of 17 governorates with a total of 1,726,739 residents. The overall PHC-, hospital-, and dentist-to-population ratios were 1 PHC to 114,365 residents, 1 hospital to 90,881 residents, and 1 dentist to 9136 residents. Only 14.5% of PHCs and 5.6% of the hospitals served 70% of the population who are living within 20 km from the governorate's center. Conclusion: This study shows that irregular distribution of health services has led to decreased access to services in the region. Further research is needed focusing in mapping MOH, private and other health facilities, and the burden of oral disease in the region.