Oral healthcare-related expenditure among people residing in Durg, Chhattisgarh: A household survey

Abstract

Background: Oral health is a functional unit of general health. Dental caries and periodontal diseases are considered as the major diseases prevailing in the modern era. Over decades, the perception toward maintaining oral health and interest for preventive oral health measures has decreased, thus increasing the healthcare expenditure. Aim: This study aims to estimate the household expenditure on oral health care among people residing in Durg, Chhattisgarh, India. Materials and Methods: Eight hundred and sixty participants were surveyed who were residents of Durg, Chhattisgarh (C.G.). Participants were selected through multistage cluster random sampling. A self-designed pretested and validated 20 item questionnaire was used to assess the expenditure on oral health care. Data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 23 for Windows (New York, USA). Frequency, mean and percentage, and Pearson's correlation coefficient tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Out of 860 individuals, 204 (23.7%) were males and 656 (76.3%) were females. Eight hundred and thirty-two (96.7%) individuals reported using a toothbrush as an oral hygiene aid. Majority (58.3%) of the families reported changing toothbrush at 3 months or more duration, while 37.8% of the families in 1 month or less. A statistically significant weak correlation was observed when education, occupation, and income were compared with annual expenditure on dental care (r = 0.219, 0.239, and 0.350, respectively). While a moderately strong correlation was observed between the socioeconomic status of families and annual expenditure on dental care (r = 0.438). Conclusion: People should be aware of preventive oral hygiene aids, and appropriate policies should be formulated which will ultimately result in decreased expenditure on a curative aspect of the dental disease.