2024, Volume 17, Issue 8, pp 812 – 818

Identifying barriers to pediatric dental appointments: insights from a study at Prince Faisal bin Al-Hussein Hospital

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Authors and Affiliations

Corresponding author Razan Jameel Salaymeh Department of Dental Medicine, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan E-mail: Razan.salaymeh@gmail.com

Abstract

Ensuring good oral health is crucial for overall well-being. Missed appointments can negatively impact the quality of care and oral health outcomes, making it essential to identify the factors contributing to non-attendance. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with non-attendance at a pediatric dental clinic. The study used a cross-sectional design, which included a random sample (n = 265) of eligible pediatric patients under 12 years old, with data collected through questionnaires completed by their parents. Data were collected over 3 months, from November 2023 to January 2024, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test, with a confidence level of 95%. Results indicated that 76% of patients were school-age children, and 44% of children had missed their appointments. The critical barriers to attendance mentioned by parents were social and family commitments (15.2%), forgetfulness (11.2%), illness (8.6%), school commitments (6.9%), and fear of dental treatment (3.5%). The administrative barriers were due to staff miscommunications (10.3%), while non-attendance for unspecified reasons was 11.2%. Finally, the relationship between age, gender, and type of transportation with missed appointments was statistically significant (P < 0.05). This study highlights the significant rate of missed appointments and the factors contributing to non-attendance at pediatric dental clinics.

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About this article

PMC ID: 11556521
PubMed ID: 
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2024-0178

Article Publishing Date (print): 8 2024
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


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