Oral health services in PR China as evaluated by dentists and patients

Objective: To describe the function of oral health services and the delivery of oral health care in PR China. Design: Cross-sectional surveys. Self-administered questionnaires gathered information on professional practices and attitudes of Chinese dentists. Patients were examined clinically for caries and services rendered. Patients were interviewed about oral health status, reason of dental visits and consumption of services, perceived need for care and self-care practices. Setting: Wuhan City of the Hubei Province of China. Subjects: Random samples of dentists (n=250) working with child and adult patients in 1998 in Wuhan City. Each dentist had a representative sample of 20 patients attending consecutively for care enrolled in the study. Results: On average, the dentists saw 12 patients per day, with most time devoted to restorative treatment and extraction. The majority of dentists held the opinion that in China little attention is given to preventive care. Forty per cent of the patients were new to the dentists and more than half attended care because of pain or acute symptoms, The reported mean number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth varied from 2.6 for 12-year-old patients to 10.7 for patients aged 65-74. Daily toothbrushing was practised by more than 90% of the patients in all age groups, however, the tradition of regular dental visits was weak. Most patients (51-75 per cent) attended for care due to acute problems or pain. Conclusion: The study indicated the need for reorientation of the Chinese oral health services towards prevention.