Self-Reported Obstacles to Regular Dental Care among Information Technology Professionals

Abstract

Introduction: Good oral health is important for an individual as well as social well-being. Occupational stress and work exhaustion in Information Technology (IT) professionals may influence the oral health and oral health related quality of life. Aim: To assess and compare self-reported obstacles for regular dental care and dental visits among IT professionals based on age, gender, dental insurance and working days per week. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,017 IT professionals to assess the self-reported obstacles to regular oral health care in Hyderabad city, Telangana, India. The Dental Rejection of Innovation Scale (DRI-S) was employed in this study. Comparison between means of DRI-S based on variables was done using t-test and ANOVA. The association between variables and DRI-S was determined using Chi-square test. Results: A total of 1017 participants comprising of 574 (56%) males and 443 (44%) females participated in the study. As age increased, a significant increase in mean DRI-S scores was seen for total and individual domains except for the “Situational” domain wherein higher mean score (9.42±2.5; p=0.0006) was observed among 30–39 years age group. Even though females reported higher mean scores for total and individual domains when compared to males, nevertheless significant difference was seen only for total (p=0.03) and “Lack of Knowledge” (p=0.001) domain. Conclusion: Self-reported obstacles to regular dental care was more with increasing age, increased number of working days per week, irregular dental visits and absence of dental insurance facility.

Keywords

• dental visit
• knowledge
• oral care
• questionnaire
• utilization