Analysis of attendance rates at Soweto dental clinics 1995-2002.
BACKGROUND
Patient attendance rates at Soweto dental clinics increased during the year after the implementation of free primary oral health care in 1995.


OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to examine if the attendance rates continued to increase between April 1995 and March 2002.


METHODS
Monthly clinic records were used to record casual (pain and sepsis treatment) and booked patient attendance (restorative, prosthetic and orthodontic treatment) and number of dental operators in the nine primary health care clinics and one hospital clinic in Soweto. Data were analysed with SAS and Prism software.


RESULTS
Total patient attendances in the primary health care clinics significantly increased from 6,161 in 1995 to 10,519 in 2002 (P<0.05) due to an increase in casual patients Booked patients decreased and patients treated per operator increased. In the hospital clinic the casual patient attendances decreased but booked patients significantly increased (P<0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Patient attendance rates increased between 1995 and 2002 with an increase in dental operator workload.
Harkinson
B N
BN
Medical Research Council and University of the Witwatersrand Dental Research Institute, Wits, South Africa.
Cleaton-Jones
P E
PE
D003740:Dental Clinics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs; D009909:Oral Health; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013019:South Africa