Dental needs, demands and patterns of service utilization in a selected Malaysian urban population

The dental needs, demands and patterns of service utilization were assessed in a randomly selected sample of 750 subjects attending the Dental Faculty, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Toothache accounted for the most frequent overall dental complaint. However, the most common motives for seeking dental care varied among children (2-12 yr), adolescents (13-18 yr) and adults (19 + yr). The attendance behavior of women is more preventively orientated and more inclined towards rehabilitation compared to that of men. The proportion of normative needs of the patients varies from 7.5% for dentures to 66% for dental caries. About 50% of service utilization for the first visit consisted primarily of extractions in the oral surgery department.