Geospatial Distribution and Utilization of Dental Facilities in Lagos State

Abstract

The provision and use of facilities in all spheres of human needs have attracted the interest of stakeholders and other social scientists. The reason for this interest lies in the importance of public facilities like schools, hospitals fire stations, clinics and others, on the development of the area. The utilization of health facilities in general and dental facilities in particular promotes health living. In oral health education, it is necessary to inculcate a habit of visiting dentist frequently. The purpose of the research is to examine the spatial distribution and utilization of dental clinics in Lagos State. The methodology adopted in this study was to investigate the spatial distribution and utilization of dental clinics in Lagos state, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technique was used in creating a distributional map. The administrative map, information on the number and addresses of the dental clinics acquired from the state ministry of health and the coordinates of the dental clinics obtained using Global Positioning System (GPS) in the study area were integrated in the GIS environment and analyzed using Arc Map 9.2 software. The study reveals that there were eightyone 81 dental clinics in the study area with the entire 81 (100%) being private dental clinics. The study also reveals the pattern of distribution of the dental clinics within the study area and the level at which the clinics are exploited. Data was also generated from primary and secondary sources. Four dental clinics were selected from the three senatorial districts of Lagos State. Findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents were well-educated, high-income earners and also mostly female. The study also revealed that there is uneven distribution in the availability of dental clinics. The spatial pattern of dental clinics is found to be clustered. The study also revealed that socio-economic status of users play a significant role in the utilization pattern of these facilities. The study concluded that government should establish dental clinics outside the general hospitals across every Local Government Area to provide a spatially even distribution in the location and utilization of dental clinics in Lagos state.