Oral Health Status and Patterns of Dental Service Utilization of Adolescents in Lesotho, Southern Africa.

Abbas Jessani,Mario Brondani,Abdul El-Rabbany,Pulane Lefoka,Hyun Ja Lim,Denise M Laronde,Eketsang Ndobe,Kirsten Hooper,Mir Faeq Ali Quadri

doi:10.3390/children8020120

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the best predictors for unmet dental treatment needs and patterns of dental service utilization by adolescents in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Southern Africa. A self-reported 40-item oral health survey was administered, and clinical oral examinations were conducted in public schools in Maseru from August 10 to August 25, 2016. Associations between psychosocial factors with oral health status and dental service utilization were evaluated using simple, bivariate, and multivariate regressions. Five hundred and twenty-six survey responses and examinations were gathered. The mean age of student participants was 16.4 years of age, with a range between 12 and 19 years of age. More than two thirds (68%; n = 355) of participants were female. The majority reported their quality of life (84%) and general health to be good/excellent (81%). While 95% reported that oral health was very important, only 11% reported their personal dental health as excellent. Three percent reported having a regular family dentist, with the majority (85%) receiving dental care in a hospital or medical clinic setting; only 14% had seen a dental professional within the previous two years. The majority of participants did not have dental insurance (78%). Clinical examination revealed tooth decay on 30% of mandibular and maxillary molars; 65% had some form of gingivitis. In multivariate analysis, not having dental education and access to a regular dentist were the strongest predictors of not visiting a dentist within the last year. Our results suggest that access to oral health care is limited in Lesotho. Further patient oral health education and regular dental care may make an impact on this population.

Highlights

This article is an open access articleOral health is central to general health and wellbeing [1]
This study was made possible via a collaboration between Smile Lesotho Foundation (SLF), academics from the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the National University of Lesotho (NUL) in response to Smile Lesotho Foundation’s call to identify the unmet dental treatment need of local adolescents
The A&N model of health service utilization served as a theoretical framework to determine the predictors that influence the unmet dental treatment needs and patterns of dental service utilization in adolescent-aged school population in Maseru, Lesotho

Summary

Introduction

Oral health is central to general health and wellbeing [1]. This becomes important when dealing with adolescents, as oral diseases can have a significant psychosocial impact and restrict daily activities, including hours lost from school and work [2]. The countries of Southern Africa, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini are home to 63.4 million people. Of this population, 19.1 million are children under the age of 15 [4]. Children under the age of 15 compose 35.7% of the Lesotho population [4]

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Conclusion