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Abstract

Objectives: The objective of the current study is to compare patient satisfaction levels between public and private tertiary care dental hospitals in Karachi, focusing on both clinical and non-clinical services, and to identify key factors (such as waiting time, staff behaviour, facility cleanliness, and treatment quality) that influence patient satisfaction across various dental specialities.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved patients visiting the dental OPD in both private and public sector hospitals. Data were collected from 500 participants aged 20 to 45 years. Patients were recruited using a stratified probability sampling technique. Data was gathered through a closed-endequestionnaire with four sections: Section 1 covered demographic variables; Section 2 related to satisfaction with clinical dental services; Section 3 dealt with non-clinical dental services; and Section 4 assessed satisfaction levels with treatments. A Likert scale from 1 to 5 was used, where 5 indicated ‘strongly satisfied’ and 1 indicated ‘strongly dissatisfied.’ Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22, and results were deemed significant when the p-value was less than 0.05.Results: The results indicate that the majority had an education level below a bachelor’s degree. A significant difference in patient satisfaction was observed between the public and private dental sectors, with higher satisfaction reported in the private sector (p < 0.05). Among departments, patients from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery units showed the highest levels of satisfaction compared to other departments. Patient satisfaction in the public and private dental sectors showed statistically significant differences between the two settings, with patients in the private sector being more satisfied (p < 0.05). For all hospitals, reducing waiting time (p = 0.003) and improving staff behaviour (p <0.001) are actionable fixes.
Conclusion: The study revealed a diverse sample in terms of gender, age, and education. Patient satisfaction was higher in the private sector. with waiting time and staff behaviour as major differentiators.