THE ORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICES IN PAHANG, MALAYSIA

Mohd Hidir Mohd Atni; Mohd Hidir Mohd Atni; Nor Faezah Md Bohari; Budi Aslinie Md Sabri

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THE ORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICES IN PAHANG, MALAYSIA

Author: Mohd Hidir Mohd Atni ¹ ; Mohd Hidir Mohd Atni ² ; Nor Faezah Md Bohari ² ; Budi Aslinie Md Sabri ²
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1. Oral Health Programme, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Level 5, Block E10, Parcel E, Precinct 1, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62590 Putrajaya, Malaysia
2. Centre of Population Oral Health & Clinical Prevention Studies, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sungai Buloh Campus, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor
Publication Type:Other Types
Keywords: ArcGis Pro; School Dental Service; Workforce
From: Journal of University of Malaya Medical Centre 2024;27(Special Issue):73-81
CountryMalaysia
Language:English
Abstract: THE ORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICES IN PAHANG, MALAYSIA:Oral healthcare workforce planning is commonly limited to the calculation of dentist-to-population ratios. However, this approach overlooks several crucial variables, such as the burden of oral health needs. Workload analysis is implemented to gain a comprehensive understanding of the true oral health requirements. This study aims to enhance our comprehension of the workforce imbalance and its effect on the distribution of personnel serving School Dental Services (SDS) in Pahang. To achieve standardised workforce sizing for every school, the operator-to-student ratio, that is, the ratio of a single operator to the entire student body, is utilised. The collected data is then merged and computed into the ArcGIS Pro software for geospatial analysis. Statistical analysis is conducted through the utilisation of SPSS software. In Pahang, 10% (n=72) of schools have a low operator-to-student ratio, with 47 located in Kuantan. There is a significant difference in DMFT mean between rural (0.74; SD=0.60) and urban (0.86; SD=0.58) schools (p=0.02). Kuantan's urban schools have a significant operator burden, with a shortage of operators compared to other districts, amplifying the workforce distribution imbalance. Compared to urban areas, there is a greater ratio of one operator to the total student population in rural areas. However, schools with a higher number of students need more children to be treated per operator. The necessity for a fair workload-based distribution of SDS staff is evident.
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