Dental clinic attendance in Soweto, South Africa, before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services.
OBJECTIVE
To compare patient attendance rates 1 year before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services in Soweto, South Africa.


METHODS
Monthly clinic records for clinic attendance, both casual and booked, and number of dental operators were recorded 1 year either side of April 1996.


RESULTS
Patient attendance fluctuated by day and season. There was a mean 46% increase in attendance after free primary dental health services were introduced, with more than a sixfold increase in casual attendees (pain, sepsis) than in booked patients (restorative treatment, dentures, orthodontics).


CONCLUSIONS
There was a statistically significant increase in casual patient attendance in the year after free primary dental health care was introduced with an increased dental operator load.
Bhayat
Ahmed
A
Dental Research Institute, Medical Research Council, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. cleatonjonesp@dentistry.wits.ac.jp
Cleaton-Jones
Peter
P
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D003727:Dental Auxiliaries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003740:Dental Clinics / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003815:Dentists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003778:Dentures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005250:Fees, Dental; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D059408:Pain Management; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000628:therapy; D013019:South Africa