• Asmaa Riaz and Ume Sughra.
• Dr. Asmaa Riaz, BDS, MSPH., Al-Shifa School of Public Health, Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2021 May 1; 37 (3): 751-756.

ObjectivesTo measure service quality gaps in dental services provided at public hospitals of the district, Rawalpindi.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in two of the public hospitals of the district, Rawalpindi from April to October 2019. Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to include a total number of 400 patients, equally divided between Rural health center (RHC) and Tehsil headquarter (THQ). Face to face interviews were done using a 32-item SERVQUAL in the form of a structured questionnaire where one part of the questionnaire was filled before the treatment and the other after the treatment. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.90. It was analyzed using SPSS version 25 with descriptive and parametric tests, and further multiple linear regression was done.ResultsThe quality of services provided to patients was significantly lower than their expectations in both RHC (-14.48 ± 7.96) and THQ (-9.97 ± 7.97). Independent t-test showed a significant difference in service quality between both the hospitals (-4.41), with a better quality of services in THQ. Association of service quality gap was statistically significant with gender, education, occupation, monthly income, and the number of visits to the hospital with p-value < 0.05. The type of hospital was the strongest predictor (ß = 4.12) of the outcome variable.ConclusionThe findings reveal that patients' expectations exceed their perception of dental services provided in public hospitals. THQ provided a better quality of services compared to RHC.Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.

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