Dental Visiting Beliefs and Behaviors of Primary Schoolchildren in Taiwan

Objectives: Taiwan has neither school-based dental center nor dental hygienists to offer services to school students. This study aimed to apply the health belief model (HBM) to investigate the dental visiting beliefs and determinants of regular dental attendance among primary schoolchildren, to explore the reason why they do not visit a dentist, even if school oral examination reveals that they have caries.
Methods: A new measurement scale based on the HBM was developed, and a cross-sectional study was conducted. Four health-promoting schools participated, and 958 grade 4 to 6 students completed the questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the newly developed scale—Dental Visiting Belief Questionnaire (DVBQ)—were analyzed, and a path analysis model was used to identify the determinants of regular dental visit.
Results: The DVBQ has good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.826–0.925) and a factor structure identical to HBM. Overall, the schoolchildren’s dental visiting beliefs on caries were positive. The rate of regular dental visit was 35.4%; the determinants were school location (β = −.13), mother’s education level (β = .15), susceptibility (β = −.18), and barriers (β = −.11).
Conclusions: Policy makers should increase the accessibility of dental resources in primary schools to enhance the utilization of dental care among children. The DVBQ can be used to detect the risk group of children with untreated caries and assist in the intervention.