Dental care utilization by accredited social health activist and anganwadi workers in Chintamani Taluk, Karnataka

Abstract

Introduction: The Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and anganwadi workers form a strong link between the healthcare delivery system and rural community. The utilization of the dental care facilities by ASHA and anganwadi workers can be an indicator of oral health awareness among them. Aim: To assess the dental care utilization among ASHA and anganwadi workers and their oral diseases status. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the community health center, Chintamani, Karnataka. All the ASHA, anganwadi workers present on the day of the study were included in the study. A proforma was used to record demographic details, oral health care utilization during the previous year, reasons for last dental visit, and oral health status. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were performed using SPSS version 16 (SPSS IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The study participants were 321 in number. Among them, 141 (43.9%) were ASHA workers and 180 (56.1%) were anganwadi workers and 28.3% utilized dental services. However, 309 (96.7%) of the participants had oral diseases. There was a significant difference (P = 0.002) in the proportion of the dental care utilization and oral diseases among the participants. Conclusions: The dental care utilization was low and is not proportional to the disease present in the study population.

Keywords

• Dental service
• health workers
• utilization