Patient satisfaction: a survey of dental outpatients at the lagos university teaching hospital, nigeria

Background: Patient satisfaction with dental services has received minimal attention in Nigeria. Quality of service is however, an integral part of any business. The study assessed dental outpatients’ satisfaction with oral health care delivery a tertiary institution in Nigeria. The perceptions of the oral health care provider and suggestions that will improve service delivery were also obtained from these consumers.Methods: A modified Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire (DSQ) was used to assess the patients. An aggregate score was also calculated for each respondent for all variables tested under the five items on dental patient satisfaction. The highest possible score was 76, based on the number ofitems assessed. The cut off point for satisfaction was set at 38.Results: Three hundred patients participated in the study. The items with the top three scores were dentist-patient relationship (respect/listen), rapport and infection control with mean scores of 3.5, 3.4, and 3.3 respectively. The range for the aggregate score for level of satisfaction was16-68. High level of satisfaction reported in 159 (53%) of the respondents and low level in 141 (47%). Dissatisfaction was expressed with regards to the infrastructure, electricity/regular supply of water and being treated byunsupervised students in 85.7%, 59.5% and 89% respectively.Conclusions:The overall high level of satisfaction was related to the communication skills and rapport of staff with the patients. There is an urgent need for improvement on infrastructure and provision of a steady supply of water and electricity.Keywords: Patient satisfaction, dental out patients, LUT