ASSESSMENT OF THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE POPULATION OF ALMATY TO FREE DENTAL CARE

Background: Oral health is an important component of overall health and well-being. The ever-increasing cost of dental services makes it inaccessible to most of the population. The purpose of the study: to study the accessibility of the adult population in free dental medical care. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 115 respondents who were interviewed using the author’s questionnaire «Patient satisfaction with the work of the dental service” and examined by a dentist to identify oral diseases. The main group consisted of people of retirement age who could receive dental care at the expense of the Republican budget – 36 people, the control group included people younger than retirement age (63 years for men, 61 years for women) — 79 people. Results: The survey showed that most patients go to the dentist only for urgent need, with a preventive purpose only 5% of the main group and 14% of the control group. None of the patients had an income below the subsistence level per family member, however, most patients in both groups need free dental care (87% of the main group and 80% of the control group), the main reason for rare visits to the dentist is financial constraints. Conclusions: Even though the respondents did not have an income below the subsistence level, most of them needed free dental care.