Dental clinic attendance in Soweto, South Africa, before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services.

OBJECTIVE To compare patient attendance rates 1 year before and after the introduction of free primary dental health services in Soweto, South Africa. METHODS Monthly clinic records for clinic attendance, both casual and booked, and number of dental operators were recorded 1 year either side of April 1996. RESULTS Patient attendance fluctuated by day and season. There was a mean 46% increase in attendance after free primary dental health services were introduced, with more than a sixfold increase in casual attendees (pain, sepsis) than in booked patients (restorative treatment, dentures, orthodontics). CONCLUSIONS There was a statistically significant increase in casual patient attendance in the year after free primary dental health care was introduced with an increased dental operator load.