Patient satisfaction from dental services provided by the College of Dentistry, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia

ObjectiveQuality is a major concern of health care agencies all over the world. Patients’ satisfaction has been investigated in many colleges of dentistry in various countries. Dental complaints made by patients may cause a great deal of anxiety and stress among dental care providers. It is important for the profession to promote high standards of professional conduct among dentists. The aim of this study is to determine patients’ satisfaction regarding the quality of dental care at dental clinics of the College of Dentistry at Taibah University.MethodsA cross sectional analytical observational study was conducted at the dental clinics of the College of Dentistry at Taibah University. A random sampling technique was employed over a three-month period; March 1st–May 31st 2012. A self administered (Arabic/English) questionnaire was used.ResultsA total of 202 patients qualified for the study, but only 162 agreed to participate with a response rate of 80.19: (55.6%) were Saudi nationals and 44.4% were Non-Saudis. The overall ranking of factors related to satisfaction revealed a mean percentage of 79.5% agreement for the 4 disciplines of satisfaction denoting a high level of satisfaction. The association between respondents’ nationality and the characteristics of the four disciplines of satisfaction revealed significant difference between Saudi and Non Saudis.ConclusionThe majority of patients were satisfied with the patient–dentist interaction, technical competency, administrative efficiency and clinic set up environment at the dental clinics of the College of Dentistry at Taibah University.RecommendationsContinuous evaluation of patient satisfaction is to be part and parcel of the oral health care delivery by the College of Dentistry at Taibah University to ensure patient satisfaction.