Association of religious and socio-cultural factors on dental service utilization among the elderly in Narathiwat, Thailand.
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Abstract
Objective: The objective is to explore the association between religious and socio-cultural factors on dental service uses of elderly.
Materials and Methods: This observational study used retrospective dental treatment data from public dental health services in Narathiwat Province collected from July to December 2022 to identify eligible elderly patients. All of the elderly patients with an ADL Barthel score of 12 or higher were recruited to participate in the study. Then, face-to-face interviews were conducted using questionnaires adapted from Penchansky and Thomas's framework on health-service accessibility. The analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square tests.
Results: A total of 106 elderly participated in the study. Most participants were female, aged 60-69, Muslims, and 47% had no formal education. Muslim-elderly-participants were more likely than Buddhists to report conflicts between dental procedures and religious principles. Additionally, 72.2% of Muslim elderly experienced difficulties in accessing services due to language barriers.
Conclusion: The study highlighted the significant association of socio-cultural factors on dental service utilization among the elderly in Thailand's southern border provinces. These findings emphasized the need for culturally sensitive public health policies, incorporating cultural awareness and language proficiency, to improve healthcare accessibility.
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