Oral Healthcare Renunciation and Socioeconomic Determinants

The unequal access to healthcare in general and oral healthcare, in particular, is a true public health concern. Thus, it is important to assess the oral healthcare renunciation and socioeconomic determinants to take appropriate measures. A cross-sectional, descriptive population-based study of 300 households was carried out between April 28, 2016, and May 28, 2016, according to WHO’s guidelines (Protocol 1997), in Senegal adapted form. Results showed that 18.23% of householders report that their household members have foregone oral healthcare. Among those who renounced care, 51.5% did so for care costs (24.2%) or remoteness of health facilities (27.3%) reasons. Therefore, dental treatment renunciation was independently associated to income level, age, sex, marital status, and types of oral healthcare coverage. This study’s analysis shows that oral healthcare renunciation depends primarily on the financial aspect and the remoteness of health structures. Still, there are other important socio-anthropological parameters that should be investigated.