The Role Of Child-Friendly Dental Clinic ‎Experience And Perceived Value On The Relationship Of Service And Loyalty Patient

Abstract

The growth of the health sector in West Java has not had a significant impact on parental awareness and knowledge of children's dental health, as evidenced by the high number of dental caries cases in children. This indicates that despite the development of healthcare facilities, public awareness of children's dental health remains low. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between service quality and patient loyalty, with child-friendly dental clinic experience and perceived quality as mediating variables. This study employs a quantitative approach with a population of dental clinics in West Java. The sample selection was conducted using a purposive sampling technique, and data analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with 400 parents of pediatric dental patients. The results of the direct effect analysis indicate that service quality significantly influences child-friendly dental clinic experience (ß=0.758), perceived value (ß=0.781), and patient loyalty (ß=0.368). Child-friendly dental clinic experience affects patient loyalty (ß=0.266), while perceived value influences patient loyalty (ß=0.231). Additionally, the results of the indirect relationship test show that child-friendly dental clinic experience (ß=0.569) and perceived value (ß=0.548) serve as mediating variables in the relationship between service quality and patient loyalty. This study provides insights for dental clinic managers to improve service quality by considering child experience and perceived value to enhance long-term patient loyalty.