Table 7.

Patient's barriers to receive optimum dental care.

Behavioral Barriers:	•Dental fear and anxiety •Limited cooperation •Challenging patient attitude
Psycho-social Barriers	•Medical barriers •Psychological/mental barriers (e.g. depression, bipolar disorders, fibromyalgia) •Sensory barriers (e.g. blindness, deafness) •Physical barrier (e.g. handicapped patient) •Language barrier •Access to health care facility (e.g. financial, transportation) •Sudden family or social disturbance (acute stresses) •Current ongoing stressors (chronic stresses)

❖ Note on how to incorporate the barriers to care: A general statement will be used to direct the attention of practitioners to the presence of any of listed barriers to care. For example: “in case your patient has any of the listed barriers to care, then use your clinical judgment to suggest any or all of the following: frequent fluoride application, frequent radiographic assessment, use of chlorhexidine mouthwash etc”.