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Problems of Dental Health Care Services and Use in Ekiti State College of Health
Sciences and Technology Ijero Ekiti, Nigeria.

Research · July 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23110.91207

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Oluwatuyi Shegun Victor Blessing Alagbada

Kwara State University College of health sciences and technology Ijero-Ekiti
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Oluwatuyi Mayowa Funmilayo Adedoja Racheal Okunade

Ekiti State College of Health Science and Technology Ijero, Nigeria College of health Sciences and Technology Ijero Ekiti
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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Problems of Dental Health Care Services and Use in

Ekiti State College of Health Sciences and
Technology, Ijero Ekiti, Nigeria
Okunade R.A1, Oluwatuyi Shegun Victor2*, Alagbada Blessing2, Oluwatuyi Mayowa Funmilayo3
1
Department of Dental Health, Ekiti State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ijero, Nigeria
2
Department of Public Health, Ekiti State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ijero, Nigeria
3
Department of Health Information Management, Ekiti State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Ijero, Nigeria
*Corresponding author

Abstract: Dental health services faces varied challenges in Nigeria Americans visit the dentist each year[4]. There are different
today as the public gives little or no attention to dental health dental diseases which are left untreated due to ignorance or
care. The authors identified various factors and problems facing other factors causing serious social stigma in the long run.
the use of dental health care facility in the study area. This also Dental health problems or conditions are still much a public
covers the attitude of users (Mainly Students) to dental health
health issue in Nigeria compared to other developed nations.
care services despite being a health institution. We adopted a
stratified sampling technique to select our sample while making Oral health disparities refer to the existence of differences in
use of primary and secondary data; revealing the statistics of the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of oral
patients recorded to have utilized dental health facility in the diseases and other adverse health conditions as well as the use
College from 2016-2019. One hundred and Ninety two (192) of health care services, among specific population
Questionnaires was administered to find out the problems and groups[5]Cultural issues contributes mainly to oral health
challenges of dental health care usage in the study area, a rating issues such as use of herbs for kids, consumption of foods that
scale was designed and distributed to the dental health personnel affects healthy growth of teeth in kids, lack of calcium etc.
in the clinic. Data obtained were analyzed using tables and The sources of the barriers that the patient experience in
graphical representations. The result revealed low utilization of
relation to accessing oral health care are said to arise from
dental health care facility in the study area; identified factors are
lack of or poor awareness of the importance of dental health care their life experiences and psycho-social factors. These factors
which is the most identified factor, ignorance, unaffordable cost, may include: age, gender, education, ethnicity, language,
painful procedure of dental health care services among others perception of need, anxiety states, and feeling of vulnerability
hence, there is need to improve on dental health care awareness [7]Others may include: cost of treatment, health status of the
as an essential health care service while also encouraging the individual, disability, transportation, residence/ rurarity,
government to subsidize dental health care services to make it adequacy of dental workforce and beliefs and charisma of
affordable to users. dental health care personnel[8]From this list of factors, four
Key words: Problems, dental health, oral hygiene, Health facility main groups of barriers have been identified. These are dental
anxiety, expensive nature of dental treatment, perception of
I. INTRODUCTION need and lack of access[9] In the recent times, reluctance of a
cross-section of the public to utilize oral health care. There is
D ental Health is a health care service rendered to patient
seeking dental health care mostly due to dental health
conditions or as a means of dental health medical check-up to
an important difference between the need for oral health care
and the demand for it. A good understanding of the barriers
forestall possible dental diseases. Dental care usage can be that prevent people from seeking appropriate and timely oral
defined as the percentage of the population who access dental health intervention is important when designing outreach
services over a Specified period of time[1]. Measures of activities that would bridge the gap between the need for care
actual dental care utilization describe the percentage of the and the amount of care sought[11]. The authors focused more
population who has seen a dentist at different time intervals. on identifying reasons why dental health care services are not
Dental disease is a serious public health problem with utilized in the study area.
universal distribution and affecting all age group [2]. II. METHODOLOGY
However, despite this universal distribution, only a few seek
dental care. Thus a wide gap is created between the actual The study area is Ekiti State College of Health sciences and
dental needs of the population and the demand for dental Technology located in Ijero Ekiti, Nigeria . It is an institution
care[3]. Although dentists agree that regular dental visits are that produce middle health practitioner in the State and
essential for maintaining good oral health, national studies in diaspora. Their Dental health facility is well equipped due to
the United States of America estimate that only 41-50% of all accreditation programs.

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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria 300 LEVEL 4

400 LEVEL 4
Students of dental health department were excluded from the 100 LEVEL 4
research as they do visit the dental clinic for practical from 200 LEVEL 4
time to time. All other departments were included before FE2 16 16
300 LEVEL 4
using stratified random sampling technique to select study 400 LEVEL 4
sample.
TOTAL = 32 16
The population of the study area is 3240 students as at the
time of this research work, Authors used a stratified sampling 100 LEVEL 4
technique where in the population was divided in to six strata 200 LEVEL 4
6 FF FF1 16 16
300 LEVEL 4
[Faculty], in each faculty two [2] department were selected,
400 LEVEL 4
sixteen [16] students were picked from each of the department
100 LEVEL 4
selected from 100level – 400level.
200 LEVEL 4
FF2 16 16
FACULTY 300 LEVEL 4
S/N DEPARTMENT LEVEL SAMPLE
CODE 400 LEVEL 4
100 LEVEL 4
200 LEVEL 4 TOTAL = 32 16
1. FA FA1 16 16
300 LEVEL 4 GRAND
400 LEVEL 4 192 192
TOTAL
100 LEVEL 4
200 LEVEL 4
FA2 16 16
300 LEVEL 4 Questionnaire was adopted as the instrument for data
400 LEVEL 4 collection while also using secondary data obtained from the
health information department of the College health clinic, a
TOTAL =32 16
rating scale was designed and distributed to the dental health
100 LEVEL 4 personnel in the clinic. Pretest of the instrument was carried
200 LEVEL 4 out on samples different from actual sample for the research
2 FB FB1 16 16
300 LEVEL 4 work; the validity of the research instrument was carried out
400 LEVEL 4 with result at 0.92. The results were analyzed using STATA
100 LEVEL 4 MP12, descriptive analysis of data collected while also using
200 LEVEL 4 a rating scale to measure dental health care services in the
FB2 16 16
300 LEVEL 4 study area.
400 LEVEL 4
III. RESULTS
TOTAL = 32 16
Total questionnaire was One hundred and Ninety two and they
100 LEVEL 4 were personally administered by the authors and retrieved
200 LEVEL 4 back.
3 FC FC1 16 16
300 LEVEL 4
400 LEVEL 4 S/N VARIABLE MEAN MEDIAN
100 LEVEL 4 AGE OF
1 23.12±18.10 23.5
200 LEVEL 4 RESPONDENTS
FC2 16 16
300 LEVEL 4 Table A. Data of Respondents
400 LEVEL 4
PERCE
FREQU PERCENTA FREQUEN
TOTAL = 32 16 AGE SEX NTAG
ENCY GE CY
E
100 LEVEL 4 FEMA
16-20 86 44.8% 122 63.5%
200 LEVEL 4 LE
4 FD FD1 16 16
300 LEVEL 4 21-25 92 48% MALE 70 36.5%
400 LEVEL 4 26-30 10 5.2%
100 LEVEL 4
31
200 LEVEL 4 4 2%
FD2 16 16 &above
300 LEVEL 4 TOTA
TOTAL 192 100% 192 100%
400 LEVEL 4 L

TOTAL = 32 16

100 LEVEL 4
5 FE FE1 16 16
200 LEVEL 4

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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Figure 1 Age of respondents

120%

100% 98%
PERCENTAGE
100.00% 80%
63.50%
50.00% 36.50% 60%
Percentage
0.00% 40%
PERCENTAGE
FEMALE 20%
MALE
0% 2%
Yes No
Percentage 2% 98%
FEMALE MALE
PERCENTAGE 63.50% 36.50% Table C: Reasons for Non Utilization
What do you think are the reasons why people
do not utilize dental health facility in your Frequency Percentage
school?
Table B. utilization of dental health facility in the study area
Painful dental health care procedure 48 25%
Do you utilize dental
health facility in your Frequency Percentage High cost 10 5.%
college? Dental health care is not essential like other
22 12%
Yes 4 2% health care
Poor health awareness 93 48.%
No 188 98%
Health personnel unfriendly 15 8%
TOTAL 192 100
Don’t know 4 2%
Figure 2 showing utilization of dental health facility in the study area
TOTAL 192 100

Figure 4 shows Reasons for Non Utilization

60%

50%
48%
40%

30%

20%

10% 12% PERCENTAGE

8%
5%
0% 0% 2%
Dental
Painful health care
Poor Health
dental is not Don’t
High cost health personnel
health care essential know
awareness unfriendly
procedure like other
health care
PERCENTAGE 0% 5% 12% 48% 8% 2%

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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Table D: Rating Utilization of Dental health Utilization in the study area Figure 5 data showing utilization of dental health care facility from 2016-
2019
Respondents are Dental health personnel’s in the clinic
S/N VARIABLE FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE RECORD OF DENTAL PATIENTS
1 Well utilized 0 0%

2 Fairly utilized 1 12.5% 20

20
3 Poorly utilized 7 87.5%
RECORD OF
15 12 DENTAL PATIENTS
TOTAL 8 100% 10 5
5 2 1
0
Figure 4 Rating Utilization of Dental health Utilization in the study area by RECORD OF DENTAL…
Dental health personnel’s in the clinic.

PERCENTAGE
2016 2017 2018 2019 Total
RECORD OF DENTAL
2 1 5 12 20
PATIENTS

12.50%
IV. DISCUSSION
Most of the respondents are female indicating 63.5%. Most of
Fairly the respondents did not visit the dental care facility in their
utilized institution, and the major reason for this is identified to be
Poorly poor awareness about utilization of the health facility. During
87.50% utilized personal interview, it was discovered that respondents felt the
need to visit dental health care center only when they are
feeling pain of any kind in their mouth or teeth which is very
uncommon according to them while few affirmed that dental
health care should be sought not only when there are dental
health problems but as a means of regular check-up to prevent
possible dental health conditions. Other identified factors
includes high cost of treatment, the stigma that comes with
dental health care service among colleagues, painful treatment
The above shows dental health care in the study area is poorly procedure, dental health care not so essential like other health
utilized. care services among others. From the secondary data obtained
from the institution health center from 2016 – 2019, more
Table E: data from Institution health center 2016- 2019
worrisome is that only student utilized dental health care
YEAR (JAN-DEC)
RECORD OF DENTAL
PERCENTAGE %
facility in 2017. It was revealed that 20 students visited the
PATIENTS dental health care center for treatment within 4years which
2016 02 10% showed evidently that students of the institution did not utilize
the dental health care facility in the institution. It becomes
2017 01 5%
more worrisome that health personnel n training did not see
2018 05 25% dental health care as essential though owing to factors
2019 12 60%
identified, one cannot but wonder how community people or
public react or their attitude towards dental health care.
Total 20 100%
V. CONCLUSION
From the findings of this research work, the author conclude
that the level of utilizing dental health care facility in the
study area is low and of major concern is wrong perception
that dental health care services should be sought only when

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International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

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