Appointment Failure among Dental Patients Attending a Government Dental Centre in Enugu, Nigeria

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and socio demographic factors associated with failed dental appointments among dental patients in a government dental clinic. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 419 participants who were non-first clinic attendees at a government dental clinic in Enugu, Nigeria. Data was collected on socio-demographic profile, mode of transportation and reasons for failed appointment, using a pretested structured questionnaire. Bi-variate analysis was conducted to test the association between study participants' age, sex, occupation, mode of transportation and failed dental appointment using Chi-square test and p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The age of the study participants ranged from 5 years to 90 years. More females (57.8%) than males (42.2%) participated in the study. The prevalence of failed appointment was 27.7%. The major reasons for failed appointments were "being busy with other activities" (12.4%) and "far distance" (6.9%). Only 0.7% of the study participants received telephone calls as reminder. There was no statistically significant association between age (p=0.40), sex (p=0.12), level of education (p=0.40), occupation (p=0.52), mode of transportation (p=0.71) and failed dental appointment. Conclusion: The prevalence of failed dental appointment was high in this population. Being busy and far distance were the commonest reasons for failed appointments. Very few study participants were reminded of their appointment.