Utilization of Oral Health Care Services by University Undergraduates in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: Data on the utilization of the available oral health facilities by university undergraduates is scarce in Nigeria.

Objectives: To determine the level of utilization of oral health care services and to identify the barriers to seeking treatment among University of Lagos students.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among University of Lagos undergraduates. Systematic sampling was used to select participants after randomly selecting a male and female hostel. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to participants and collected immediately. The data was analyzed using Epi info version 6.04 software. Statistical significance was evaluated with chi square test and p-value <0.05 was regarded as significant.

Results: About half (50.9%) of the respondents had visited the dentist previously while only 42.7% respondents had utilized dental services in the past 12 months. There was no significant association between the age, gender, year of undergraduate education, and the faculty of these students and their level of utilization of oral health care services. A high proportion of respondents that had attended the dental clinic went for dental checkup (33.6%) and extractions (30.9%).The major barriers to receiving dental treatment was a lack of perceived need for dental treatment (53.1%) followed by lack of time (27.1%), fear/anxiety (18.2%) and cost of treatment (18.2%).

Conclusion: The low level of utilization among the undergraduates in Lagos, Nigeria shows that there is need for greater oral health awareness among the students, thereby increasing the use of oral health care facilities.