Abstract
BACKGROUND: The quality of dental services is an important factor in patient satisfaction and health outcomes. However, there is a lack of studies, which compare the quality of dental services provided in different settings such as dental schools and private clinics and measure the gap between patients' expectations and perceptions. PURPOSE: This study aims to assess and compare the quality of dental services in Shiraz Dental School and private clinics using the SERVQUAL model and identify the dimensions that affect patient satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 440 patients of the Shiraz dental school and private clinics in Shiraz participated in answering the SERVQUAL questionnaire to measure the perceptions and expectations of patients in six dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and access). RESULTS: The mean gap score was (-1.27±0.59) for private clinics and (-0.40±0.45) for dental school, which was significant (p< 0.001) between expectations and perceptions in all dimensions in both settings. In private clinics, the largest gap was in the empathy dimension (-1.64±0.65) and the smallest gap was in the assurance dimension (-1.05±0.64). In the Shiraz dental school, the largest gap was in the tangibility dimension (-0.72±0.60) and the smallest gap was in the assurance dimension (-0.59±0.65). CONCLUSION: The patients were satisfied with the services provided in the Shiraz dental school and private clinics of Shiraz, but the expectations of the patients were not met in all dimensions, which require periodic evaluations along with policies to respond to the needs and expectations of the patients in providing services in both sectors.