Affordability versus willingness for dental treatment - A survey

Abstract

Financial barriers are an important reason for not being able to see a dentist. Still, lack of information and awareness about dental treatment acts as a barrier in getting quality dental treatment even among financially strong individuals in our country. This study aimed to analyze the awareness about dental treatments and willingness to spend on dental treatment among patients as an important factor in determining the treatment plan. A structured questionnaire was framed to evaluate the buying capacity of individuals towards comfort and gadgets and their buying capacity when it comes to dental treatment, and the responses were collected using an online surveying tool. Only 20% visit the dentist on a periodic basis for checkups, and the other 80% were unaware of the concept of regular dental checkups and visited the dentist only when they had dental complaints. 45% visited dentist only after getting pain.33% received fillings and root canal. Of the 25% who underwent extraction only 10% replaced the extracted teeth.20% only received consultation and medications and didn't turn up for other treatments. Even when the dentist offered different treatment plans, 46% of the patients chose the cheaper option. 76.3% of the surveyed people had health insurance and among them, and 36.3% were not aware of the fact whether their health insurance covers their dental treatment. People are more willing to spend for gadgets and comfort than the basic dental needs. Most of them are unaware of the fact about regular dental visits and visit the dentist only on getting pain or other severe problems and show negligence towards spending for other crucial treatments even when the dentist educates them about the need for the treatment.