Hospital-based pilot study on partially dentate and edentate patients to evaluate disparity between prosthodontic treatment demand and need: A cross-sectional sociodemographic study

Objectives and background dataUrban India has seen dramatic improvements in per capita income, life expectancy and educational level in the past century. This should translate to better awareness and utilization of prosthodontic treatment options. The aim of this study was to gauge the veracity of the above hypothesis.Materials and methodsA total of 1200 partially dentate and edentate patients visiting 2 dental hospitals for prosthodontic rehabilitation were randomly selected and administered a questionnaire and clinical examination. Data including distance of patient residence from hospital facility, patient desired prosthodontic treatment, prosthodontist's assessment of required treatment and disparity between demand and assessed treatment need were collected, evaluated, and statistically analyzed utilizing Graph Pad Prism Software with α = 2 and p < 0.05.ResultsForty-nine percent of the patients visiting the hospitals disagreed with professional advice. The reasons recorded for this included lack of awareness (39%), financial constraints (20%) and clinical limitations (32%) (p < 0.01).ConclusionA significant disparity was found between professional prosthodontic advice and patient desired management, possibly due to lack of understanding or communication between the prosthodontist and patient. This may be overcome by increasing awareness aids and programs in the hospital set up, and more time given to communication.