Evidence mapPaperPMID 36030120Full record

ArticleInternational dental journal2023

Reasons for Delay in Seeking Treatment for Dental Caries in Tanzania.

Tatheer Sachedina, Karpal Singh Sohal, Sira Stanslaus Owibingire, Omar J M Hamza

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International dental journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Tatheer SachedinaDepartment of Orthodontics, Paedodontics and Community Dentistry, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Karpal Singh SohalDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Electronic address: karpal@live.com.
Sira Stanslaus OwibingireDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Omar J M HamzaDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences · TZMuhimbili National Hospital · TZ

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe delay in seeking dental treatment is a universal health problem, with a reported prevalence as high as 98%. It is a critical feature not only in planning management but also in the final treatment outcome.

aimThis study aimed to determine the reasons for the delay in seeking treatment for dental caries amongst patients attending public dental clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in 5 public hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It included 315 adult patients who had dental caries. Data were collected using a questionnaire that included questions regarding reasons for the delay in seeking care for dental caries. Data were analysed using the SPSS computer software version 26. A one-way analysis of variance was used to assess the association between variables, and the significance level was set at P < .05.

resultsA majority (n = 244, 77.5%) of the participants delayed seeking dental care upon noting a problem in their teeth. However, the association between the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and delay in seeking dental care was statistically insignificant (P > .05). The most common reason given by the participants who delayed seeking dental care for their decayed teeth included self-negligence (n = 184, 75.4%), the practice of self-medication (n = 164, 67.2%), and ignorance (n = 110, 45.1%).

conclusionsThe majority of patients experiencing dental caries seek dental care very late. Delay in seeking dental care is not dependent on sociodemographic characteristics of individuals. Self-negligence, the practice of self‑medication, and ignorance are the major reasons for the delay.

Indexed as

Dental CariesToothAdultCross-Sectional StudiesHumansTanzaniaTreatment OutcomeDelayDental cariesPublic dental clinicsTanzania

Identifiers

PMID36030120
PMCPMC10023585
OpenAlexW4293004937

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.