JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Article

Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences

Year: 2025, Volume: 15, Issue: 3, Pages: 211-217

Original Article

Assessment of Oral Healthcare Utility among Young Adults of Chennai, India, using Standard Gamble Method, and Evaluating its Association with Self-perceived Oral Health Status

Received Date:08 February 2025, Accepted Date:02 June 2025, Published Date:26 September 2025

Abstract

Background: Oral diseases pose a great burden across the world, especially among low to middle-income countries, owing to changes in dietary habits, urbanization, and individual economic constraints. Healthcare utilization (HU) plays an important role in lessening such burden. Individual perception of health status can provide insights to understand the problems with HU. Aim: The present study aims at understanding healthcare utility in individuals’ perspective among young adults of Chennai. Methods: 310 young adults were assessed Self-rated oral health status (SROH) and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) using oral health impact profile (OHIP-14). Total Healthcare utility (THU) was evaluated using standard gamble method. The association of gender, OHIP scores, and SROH with HU was assessed using Pearson’s Chi-square. Kruskal Wallis test was employed to compare the THU among participants grouped based on their frequency of dental visits. Results: Participants of mean age 23±8.96 reported good (80.6%), fair (12.6%), and poor (6.66%) oral health statuses. The mean HU score was 14.45±4.15. Significant associations were observed between OHIP and THU (P < 0.01), OHIP and HU based on convenience (P = 0.002), SROH and HU based on type of facility (P= 0.004), SROH and HU based on affordability (P = 0.041). A significant difference was found in THU scores among participants with different frequencies of dental visits (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The HU among young adults wasinfluenced by self-rated oral health status, OHRQoL, affordability, and type of healthcare facility. Consideration to HU was only given when there were perceived dental problems.

Graphic abstract

Keywords: Oral health impact profile; Self-rated oral health status; Affordability to healthcare; Dental visits; Health related quality of life

References

  1. Talukdar R, Barman D, Thakkar V, Kanungo S. Utilization of dental care services among adult Indian population: A meta-analysis of evidence from 2011–2022. Health Promotion Perspectives. 2022;12(4):325–335. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2022.42
  2. Gambhir R, Brar P, Singh G, Sofat A, Kakar H. Utilization of dental care: An Indian outlook. Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine. 2013;4(2):292. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0976-9668.116972
  3. Sidharthan S, Ramanarayanan V, Karuveettil V, Ravindran GC. Utilization of dental health services and its associated factors among adult population in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India: A mixed-method analysis. Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research. 2024;14(2):133–142. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jobcr.2024.01.010
  4. Atala-Acevedo C, McGrath R, Glenister K, Capurro D, Bourke L, Simmons D, et al. Self-Rated Oral Health as a Valid Measure of Oral Health Status in Adults Living in Rural Australia. Healthcare. 2023;11(12):1721. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11121721
  5. Campos LA, Peltomäki T, Marôco J, Campos JADB. Use of Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) in Different Contexts. What Is Being Measured? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18:13412. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413412
  6. Alex GMJ, Wyrwich KW. Health Utility Measures and the Standard Gamble. Academic Emergency Medicine. 2003;10:360–363. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2003.tb01349.x
  7. Liu H, Maida CA, Spolsky VW, Shen J, Li H, Zhou X, et al. Calibration of self‐reported oral health to clinically determined standards. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. 2010;38:527–539. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2010.00562.x
  8. Gafni A. The standard gamble method: what is being measured and how it is interpreted. Health Services Research. 1994;29(2):207–224. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8005790/
  9. Horsman J, Furlong W, Feeny D, Torrance G. The Health Utilities Index (HUI): concepts, measurement properties and applications. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2003;1:54. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-1-54
  10. Raina R, Kumar AV, Narayanaswamy R, Pavithran VK. Access and dental health service utilization by children of government schools in Bangalore, India: A parent perspective. Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry. 2020;18(4):302. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.4103/jiaphd.jiaphd_9_20
  11. Cai Y, Zeng S, Hu Y, Xiao L, Liao Y, Yan Z, et al. Factors associated with oral health service utilization among young people in southern China. BMC Oral Health. 2024;24(1):289 . Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-03994-4
  12. Sindhu R, Rajmohan M, Bharathwaj V, Sathiyapriya S, Prabu D, Gousalya V, et al. Need Analysis of Indian Critical Health Care Delivery in Government Sectors and Its Impact on the General Public: A Time to Revamp Public Health Care Infrastructure. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine. 2023;27(4):237–245. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10071-24442
  13. Bansal A, Dinesh D, Sindhu R, Sathiyapriya S, Prabhu D, Rajmohan M. Teledentistry versus Manual Community Dentistry- A Systematic review. Journal of Advanced Medical and Dental Sciences Research. 2023;11(7):44–50. Available from: https://jamdsr.com/uploadfiles/12vol11issue7pp51-6120230729101127.pdf
  14. Northridge ME, Kumar A, Kaur R. Disparities in Access to Oral Health Care. Annual Review of Public Health. 2020;41(1):513–535. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094318
  15. Chavan S, Rahavi SL, Umesh K, Karuppaiah M, Pandian P. Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding preventive dentistry among dental students in Tamil Nadu, India. Education in the Health Professions. 2019;2(2):103. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.4103/ehp.ehp_13_19
  16. Haresaku S, Umezaki Y, Egashira R, Naito T, Kubota K, Iino H, et al. Comparison of attitudes, awareness, and perceptions regarding oral healthcare between dental and nursing students before and after oral healthcare education. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):188 . Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-01554-8
  17. Rana BK, Kiyani A, Hassan S, Masood R, Javed MQ, Abulhamael AM, et al. Assessment of treatment needs, barriers, and self-perception regarding oral health among female university students: a cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health. 2024;24(1):883. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-04658-z

Copyright

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Published By Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education, Kolar, Karnataka

DON'T MISS OUT!

Subscribe now for latest articles and news.