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Cited by 99Dental Health and Care UtilizationMental Health Treatment and AccessHealthcare Systems and Reforms

Illness-related behaviour and utilization of oral health services among adult city-dwellers in Burkina Faso: evidence from a household survey

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Varenne, Benoît, Petersen, Poul Erik, Fournet, Florence, Msellati, Philippe, Gary, Jean, Ouattara, Seydou, Harang, Maud, Salem, Gérard·2006·BMC Health Services Research
DOI 10.1186/1472-6963-6-164PMC PMC1769368
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan Africa, the availability and accessibility of oral health services are seriously constrained and the provision of essential oral care is limited. Reports from the region show a very low utilization of oral health care services, and visits to dental-care facilities are mostly undertaken for symptomatic reasons. The objectives of the present study were to describe the prevalence of oral symptoms among adults in Ouagadougou, capital city of Burkina Faso and the use of oral health services and self-medication in response to these symptoms and to measure the associations between predisposing, enabling and needs factors and decisions to seek oral health care. METHODS: The conceptual design of the study was derived from both the Andersen-Newman model of health care utilization and the conceptual framework of the WHO International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Outcomes. Data were obtained by two-stage stratified sampling through four areas representative of different stages of urbanization of Ouagadougou. The final study population comprised 3030 adults aged 15 years or over and the response rate was 65%. RESULTS: Overall, 28% of the respondents had experienced an oral health problem during the past 12 months; a high proportion (62%) reported pain or acute discomfort affecting daily life. In response to symptoms, only 28% used oral health facilities, 48% used self-medication and 24% sought no treatment at all. Multivariate analyses revealed that several socio-economic and socio-cultural factors such as religious affiliation, material living conditions and participation in a social network were significantly associated with the use of oral health care services by adults who had experienced oral health problems during the previous year. CONCLUSION: The proportion of people who have obtained oral health care is alarmingly low in Ouagadougou and self-medication appears to be an important alternative source of care for adult city-dwellers. Decision-makers in sub-Saharan countries must seek to ensure that access to essential oral health care is improved.

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  • A survey conducted in urban Burkina Faso highlighted that 37.0% of adults had consulted an oral health clinic mainly for tooth removal.

    “A survey conducted in urban Burkina Faso highlighted that 37.0% of adults had consulted an oral health clinic mainly for tooth removal (31), and a study in Nigeria asserted that 91% of Nigerian households do not use dental services (32).”

    From Oral health in Africa: a neglected public health priority (2026) · cites this paper as [31]

    The Background attributes the 37.0% figure and usual tooth extractions to a survey in a peri-urban settlement of South Africa, not to this paper’s Burkina Faso survey. The Results instead report that 27.7% of respondents who had experienced an oral health problem used oral health facilities. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Samba M Guinan JC Sangare A Da-Danho V Bakayoko-Ly R Itinéraire thérapeutique en odonto-stomatologie à Abidjan Odontostomatol Trop 2004 27 37 40 15900823
  2. Fournet F Salem G La santé dans les villes africaines, d'idées reçues à la définition d'une urgence de santé publique Med Trop (Mars) 2004 64 567 568 15816132
  3. Fassin D Brousselle C Les enquêtes d'accès aux soins en Afrique. Problèmes méthodologiques Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique 1991 39 89 99 2031102

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Authors
Varenne, B., Petersen, P. E., Fournet, F., Msellati, P., Gary, J., Ouattara, S., Harang, M., & Salem, G.
Affiliations
  • Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement (BF)
  • World Health Organization (CH)
  • Centre Muraz (BF)
  • Université Paris Nanterre (FR)
Corresponding author
Varenne, Benoît
ORCID
Venue
BMC Health Services Research
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2006-12
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
164-164
ISSN
1472-6963 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1472-6963-6-164
PMC
PMC1769368
OpenAlex
W1569384806
Cited by
99
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 7
FWCI
2.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Health Services Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Finance › Healthcare Systems and Reforms
Keywords
oral health care utilization, oral symptoms, self-medication, oral pain, barriers to dental care, socioeconomic factors, religious affiliation, social networks, urbanization, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Burkina Faso, Dental Health Services, Female, Geography, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Primary Health Care, Self Medication, Sick Role, Socioeconomic Factors, Tooth Diseases, Urbanization, Prevalence, Logistic Models, Small-Area Analysis, Urban Health Services, Health Care Surveys

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