Prevalence and Factors Associated with Missed Appointments in Pediatric Dental Office: A Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

Background: Missed appointments (MAs) tend to be common occurrences in dentistry and yet there are very few studies that have explored
their prevalence and associated factors.
Materials and methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 1 year to determine the prevalence of MAs and their
associated factors. The patient’s demographic data and treatment types associated with MAs were recorded and behavior was identified using
the Frankel’s behavior rating scale. Additionally, parents’ reason for missing the appointments and qualification of the treating doctor were
recorded. The statistical analysis was done using the Chi-square test where a p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Significant traits were further evaluated using the odds ratio.
Results: Endodontic treatments reported the most MAs followed by orthodontic treatments. The most common reason for MAs was that as the
symptoms and problems had resolved, it was deemed unnecessary to continue with treatment, despite the procedure being not complete.
Children treated by postgraduate students and children with a positive behavior were deemed to be less likely to miss appointments. Treatment
delay was determined to be the single most important predictor of MAs (p = 0.000).
Conclusion: Delay in treatment is a definite cause of inconvenience to both the children and their parents/supervisors and as such elimination
of the same could provide better appointment compliance in children.
Keywords: Frankel’s behavior rating scale, Missed dental appointments, Pediatric dentistry, Treatment delay.
Journal of Dental Sciences and Oral Rehabilitation (2019): 10.5005/jp-journals-10086-1218