BACKGROUND:
Patient satisfaction is a fundamental measure of healthcare quality and service effectiveness. This study aims to evaluate the variables that impact patients’ satisfaction with dental services in primary health care institutions in the Republic of Serbia.

METHODS:
The user satisfaction survey on dental services was conducted on 25 November 2024, using a standardised questionnaire, included voluntary, anonymous responses from users of dental health care services during regular working hours. Respondents rated their oral health, and satisfaction with dental services on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means very poor and 5 means excellent. The sample covered users from 172 primary health care institutions across Serbia. The study was approved by the ethic committee of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia.

RESULTS:
A total of 5,014 respondents participated in the study, 2029 (41%) men and 2985 (59%) women. The average age of male respondents was 37.1 years (SD±20.6), and of female respondents was 35.3 years (SD±18.5). Regarding the level of education, 2593 (54%) had completed secondary school, 1232 (25%) had a higher or university degree, and 1007 (21%) had only primary or incomplete primary education. Material status as good and very good was assessed by 3000 (60%) of respondents, and the remaining respondents declared it as poor or very poor. The average oral health rating was 4.1, while the satisfaction with dental services was 4.7. Higher education was linked to lower satisfaction with dental services, while better economic status and more positive self-assessed oral health were strongly associated with significantly greater satisfaction. Gender and age had no impact.

CONCLUSIONS:
Users of dental health care services in primary health care institutions in Serbia reported high satisfaction that increase with better economic status and oral health, and decrease with higher education with no influence by age and gender.