Exploring Unmet and New Dental Treatment Needs and Their Causes Among Iranian 10 - 12-Year-Old Children After 3 Years of Follow-up

Abstract

Background: The disparity between required healthcare and healthcare services provided is defined as an unmet need. Objectives: To assess unmet and new dental treatment needs (DTN) and their causes among 10 - 12-year-old Iranian children. Methods: The initial assessment of Babol elementary school students’ DTN was conducted in 2015 as part of an oral health promotion plan. In this 3-year follow-up study, 254 10 - 12-year-old students (50% girls) from six elementary schools underwent re-examination to identify unmet and new DTN. Additionally, a checklist completed by parents identified barriers to receiving treatment for their children. Results: A total of 224 (88.2%) students had unmet DTN, with a higher prevalence among boys (P = 0.02). Furthermore, 224 (88.2%) students presented new DTN. On average, each student had 4 and 3.5 teeth with unmet and new DTN over the 3-year period, respectively. The most common types of unmet and new DTN were restorative and fissure sealant therapy. Among respondents, 166 parents (70.9%) reported difficulty addressing their children’s DTN. The most common barriers were high dental treatment costs (56%), followed by children’s fear of dental treatment (13.7%) and lack of availability and limitations of public dental services (13.2%). Conclusions: The high prevalence of unmet and new DTN after 3 years highlights a gap between needs assessments and the implementation of oral healthcare plans.