Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional survey of about 400 civil selected from the Federal Secretariat in Ibadan. A semi-structured and self-administered questionnaire design was used to obtain information from them on their socio-demographic characteristics, attitude and utilization pattern of dental services. Attitude scores were computed over a maximum of 20 points. Attitude scores ≤9 and ≥10 were considered negative and positive respectively. Chi-square was used to test associations between categorical variables at 5 % level of significance.
Results: Male female ratio was about 1:1. Mean age was 44.0±7.3 years. Most (73.0%) had positive attitude towards regular dental service utilization. About 244 (61%) had never visited a dental clinic center. Of the few that ever did, only 10.9% visited for routine checks. Majority (71.3%) did not perceive a need for dental care. More dental visits were associated with older age and improved income level (p<0.05, p<0.05). The most common reason given for not visiting the dentist was perceived lack of problem. In 66.0%, utilization was episodic and only for emergencies. Sixteen percent of dental service users would not make return visits for fear of contracting HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: Though the civil servants largely demonstrated positive attitude towards dental service utilization, their utilization rate was low, episodic and problem driven. Appropriate oral health education and promotion strategies to enhance utilization of preventive dental services are strongly recommended for them.
Key words: dental services, attitude, utilization