Innovative methodology to guide planning of dental workforce distribution: a GIS-based study in Nepal

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Workforce Distribution
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Background:

• Equitable distribution of dental professionals is crucial for accessible healthcare.
• Understanding population-dentist density patterns is essential for health policy development in Nepal.
• Previous analyses may not have utilized advanced spatial modeling for this specific context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a predictive model for dentist distribution patterns in Nepal.
• To analyze the relationship between population density and dentist availability across districts.
• To identify areas with significant disparities in dental workforce allocation.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional descriptive study utilizing secondary data from census reports and national dentist registries.
• Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed to integrate and analyze population and dentist data.
• A predictive model was constructed based on the spatial distribution patterns observed.

Main Results:

• Significant disparities in dentist distribution were observed across Nepal's provinces.
• Dentist numbers were found to correlate strongly with population clusters, indicating concentration in high-density areas.
• Provinces with lower population growth slopes (≤20,000) exhibited fewer dentists relative to population density, while Province 3 showed a high concentration of dentists (over 50,000 population slope).

Conclusions:

• Nepal faces substantial challenges regarding the equitable distribution of dentists.
• The current distribution favors areas with higher population density, potentially neglecting rural and underserved regions.
• The study's methodology is adaptable globally, offering a framework for addressing dental workforce maldistribution in diverse settings.