Perceived need for and utilization of dental care in Indonesia in 2006 and 2007: a secondary analysis

The objective of this study was to describe the self-perceived need for and utilization of dental care in Indonesia. Using secondary data from the Indonesian National Socio Economic Survey, 2006 (n = 1,107,594) and 2007 (n = 1,167,019), we estimated the proportion of perceived need for and utilization of dental care. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to describe the perceived need for and utilization of dental care in different demographic and socioeconomic groups (based on age, gender, living standards, residence, macroregions, and health insurance entitlement) in Indonesia. Approximately only 2.33% and 2.28% of Indonesians reported a perceived need for dental care in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Dental care utilization increased from 0.65% in 2006 to 0.84% in 2007. Additionally, unmet need decreased from 72.04% in 2006 to 63.13% in 2007. Logistic regression analysis indicated that respondents aged 30-44 years, who were wealthy, and were insured had higher odds ratios in perceiving need for and utilizing dental treatment. The perceived need for and utilization of dental care among Indonesians was found to be low, and was influenced by various demographic socioeconomic factors.