Patient satisfaction with dental services provided by Taif University Dental Hospital, Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Saudi Journal for Health Sciences 2024-12, Vol.13 (3), p.238-243
• Main Authors: Alzubaidi, Mohammed A., Alzahrani, Muaath H., Alammari, Sattam T., Alqarni, Ali A., Shukr, Bandar S., Alrabaie, Fahad M., Alhaddad, Rami F., Alharbi, Abdulaziz A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: dental services; faculty of dentistry; Original Article; quality of services; satisfaction; taif university
• ISSN: 2278-1900; 2278-0521
• DOI: 10.4103/sjhs.sjhs_73_24

Background: Patient satisfaction levels serve as a crucial performance indicator of the quality of health care in any health institute. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the satisfaction level of patients with the dental care services provided by Taif University Dental Hospital (TUDH) in an effort to highlight areas that need further improvements. Settings and Design: This study was conducted at TUDH in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and employed a cross-sectional analytical observational research approach. Materials and Methods: A simple random sampling technique was employed over a period of 3 months from November 2023 to January 2024. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to assess patient satisfaction with the dental services provided by final-year dental students. Statistical Analysis: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software (Version 25.0, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for all statistical analyses. Results: This study involved 94 patients; satisfaction levels were assessed across various domains within a health-care setting. Notably, doctors' interactions received consistently high mean scores (ranging from 1.10 to 1.20), as did faculty supervisors' interactions (ranging from 1.36 to 1.52). X-ray procedures and personnel demonstrated similar satisfaction levels (mean scores between 1.17 and 1.23), while dental assistants received positive evaluations (mean scores around 1.24). Reception staff satisfaction was moderate (mean scores from 1.26 to 1.54), and patient relation office satisfaction varied (mean scores from 1.38 to 1.72). Younger patients (under 40 years) reported higher satisfaction across all domains compared to older participants. In addition, males and non-Saudi nationals expressed greater satisfaction than their female and Saudi counterparts, although these findings were not statistically significant. Education level also played a role, with more educated individuals (holding a College/University degree or higher) showing greater satisfaction, particularly in reception staff and patient relation office domains (with borderline significant effects; P = 0.03 and P = 0.093, respectively). Conclusions: The majority of the patients were satisfied with the provided dental care services at TUDH.