Sociodemographic Characteristics as Predictors of Satisfaction in Public and Private Dental Clinics

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate influence of multiple sociodemographic characteristics on the patient satisfaction levels in outpatient public and private dental practices of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Questionnaire-based survey data were collected from 500 patients, 250 each from the public and private dental clinics of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from September to December, 2017. Questions related to demographic factors and service attributes were included. A Likert scale of 5-points was used to measure satisfaction levels. Data was analyzed to calculate the descriptive and inferential statistics (analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis) to find the statistical difference (p < 0.01). RESULTS: Satisfaction level differed significantly by education level (P< 0.001) and the type of clinic (P<0.001). The multiple regression analysis suggest that all variables influenced satisfaction, except age and marital status. The satisfaction score was higher by 27% for private clinics compared to public clinics. CONCLUSION: This study was exploratory and revealed an effect of individual variables on overall satisfaction score of the services attributes. Future plans for patient care could be developed with the help of this research.