Dental Treatment Needs and Demands among Patients Attending the College of Dentistry in Baghdad

Abstract

The dental needs and demands were assessed in a randomly selected sample of 161 subjects attending the clinic of diagnosis, College of Dentistry in Baghdad for the first time. The DMFT and CPITN indices were followed in the diagnosis of dental caries and periodontal health condition respectively. Toothache accounted for the most frequent overall dental complaint, caries was the main cause of pain. The next demand was check-ups followed by aesthetic problems. Concerning the treatment needs, all the patients were in need to dental treatment even those who attended for check-ups. One surface restorations were needed in 69.65% of the patients, 82.6% were in need to two or more surfaces restorations, and 53.4% were required bridge construction. Endodontic therapy needs were in 38.5% of the subjects. The proportion of patients who needs for periodontal treatment was 81.9%, extraction 9.9% and for prosthetic treatment was 5.05%. The data of the present study revealed a lack of demand for oral and dental treatment of Iraqi population.