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

Received 2024-02-19; Accepted 2024-03-26; Published 2024-03-27

Abstract

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.