Frequency of Chief Complaints and ‘Felt Need’ of Patients Visiting Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology at Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Oral health is a neglected but important part of overall health. This study was designed to comprehend the most commonly reported chief complaints and felt need of patient visiting a dental hospital to assess the most common cause of hospital visit and level of oral health awareness.

Methods: Patients from the age of 16 years old visiting to Oral Medicine and Radiology Department of KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital in March to August, 2022 were included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Case history was taken and clinical examination was done for all the patients. Chief complaint of each of the patient and felt needs were recorded in the proforma along with the demographic details.

Results: Among 600 patients, 282 (47%) male and 318 female (53%) participated in the study. The most common chief complaints observed were tooth pain (n=123; 24.5%), decayed tooth (n= 102; 17%) and gum swelling (n=65; 10.8%). Interestingly, top three felt needs were noted as filling (n=140; 23%), extraction (n= 130; 22%) and scaling (n=111; 19%) of teeth. In addition, slight differences in most common chief complaints and felt needs were recorded on the basis of gender.

Conclusion: In summary, tooth pain, decayed tooth and gum swelling were common chief complaints among the patients. Filling, extraction and scaling were found to be most preferred treatment by the patients based on their felt need.