Oral Health Assessment and Barriers to Care in Kampala, Uganda

Objectives: To determine the dental caries prevalence rate among a sample population of adults and assess factors relating to their dental care access. Methods: A sample of 150 adults ages 18-36 from two clinics in Kampala was recruited in 2007. Oral screenings were conducted and dental and gingival status was recorded. In addition, participants completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding socio-demographic and access-oriented variables. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square Analyses, and Fisher's Exact Tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Overall, 85% had caries experience with at least 1 untreated decayed tooth. 43% had at least one restoration present, 42% had at least one missing tooth due to caries and 47% had gingivitis. The majority (71%) needed early dental care with 16% needing urgent care. With regard to dental care access, 62% reported they could not get wanted dental care during the previous 12 months, most often due to cost of care. 43% reported mouth pain as the main reason for their last dental visit. Severity of untreated caries was significantly associated with education (p=.027), income (p=.032) and age (p=.040). Conclusions: Of significance in this study were the findings that: caries is highly prevalent in this population, with little of the disease being treated; pain due to dental disease is not uncommon; and access to needed services remains a problem. In order to improve oral health of this population, efforts should be directed toward development of affordable oral health prevention and treatment programs.