Background: Dental practitioners such as dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists, oral health therapists and dental prosthetists/dental technicians provide important primary health care services to rural populations. The present study was conducted to determine factors responsible for unequal distribution of dental professional. Materials & Methods: The present study included randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, controlled before-and-after studies, meta- analysis and interrupted time series. Results: Out of 115 studies, 35 were Pubmed, 55 were Pubmed central and 25 were Medline. The difference was significant (P- 0.05). Studies from 1980- 2000 revealed 6% increase in dentists, 2000- 2010 showed 14.8% increase while 2010- 2015 showed 21.2% increase in dentists. The difference was significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The most important influences on rural dental practitioner workforce recruitment and retention were a combination of financial reimbursement and personal reasons.
Key words: Dental practitioner, Oral health therapists, Pubmed.

Received:  11 May 2018                                                   Revised: 14 July 2018                                         Accepted: 18 July 2018

Corresponding author: Dr Wasim Sajad Bhat, M.D.S. (Public Health Dentistry), Consultant at Oral Care Dental Clinic and Implant Centre, Roopnagar Enclave,  Block - B, Roopnagar,  Jammu,  J&K 180013, India

This article may be cited as: Bhat WS. Assessment of Various Factors Influencing Misdistribution of Dental Professionals. Int J Res Health Allied Sci 2018; 4(4):112-114.