Introduction: In the context of public health, seeking or not seeking dental care is a poorly documented topic. However, its control is essential for the establishment of effective prevention.
Purpose of research: The main objective of our study is to explore the perceptions, attitudes, social representations and factors determining the behavior of the Lebanese population seeking oral care in two governorates, Beirut and Mount Lebanon.The method follows the descriptive qualitative approach. Semi-directed exploratory interviews were conducted with 20 beneficiaries and 7 dentists. The data was analyzed thematically in several stages according to the Kreuter and Green model.
Results: The results of our study showed that several factors hamper the beneficiaries’ use of dental care. The lack of knowledge about the association between dental health and general health, the negative perceptions of citizens towards prevention and dentistry as well as financial incapacity remain primordial factors obstructing the seeking of dental care. On the other hand, health education, changing perceptions as well as cost coverage or reimbursement would be factors that could promote the use of dental care.
Conclusion: Not seeking dental care remains a worrying problem in a developing country like Lebanon. The impact is considerable on oral health and on general health with all its consequences on an already fragile health system.