Oral health and dental attendance patterns of Pacific people in Christchurch, New Zealand

OBJECTIVES: To determine levels of self-reported oral health, dental attendance patterns and barriers to seeking dental care among a Pacific community in New Zealand. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using a self-completed questionnaire. SETTING: A Pacific Island Health Trust in Christchurch. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Adults affiliated to the Pacific Trust Canterbury, who were in contact with any of the Trust's health services within a four-week period, were invited to complete a dental self-report questionnaire. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-one Pacific adults took part in the study. The mean age of the sample was 38.7 years, with an age range of 17 to 77 years. Over half the respondents had not attended a dentist within the previous two years, and more than three-quarters had last attended a dentist because of pain. Most respondents had paid for their last treatment themselves, and over half had received an extraction because of infection. Participants who received a Government benefit were more likely to have used a public dental service than those in paid employment. Those who had not received education beyond secondary school were more likely to have used a public dental service than those who had achieved higher education levels. Males were more likely to have had a tooth removed due to infection than females; and Cook Island, Niuean and other Pacific groups were more likely to have had a tooth removed than Samoans. CONCLUSIONS: Most Pacific people among this sample were episodic dental attenders, usually presenting because of pain. Many depended on hospital dental departments, particularly beneficiaries, those with community services cards, and those in low socioeconomic occupations. Tooth loss was a common occurrence among this population. Further information on Pacific people's oral health in New Zealand would be beneficial.