Can Dental Service Utilization Decrease The Occurrence Of Dental Pain?

Objectives: This study tested whether the pattern of dental attendance mediates the association between educational attainment and dental pain.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis conducted with 1,099 adults from a prospective cohort study, in Southern Brazil. Educational attainment was the exposure of interest. The mediators were the pattern of dental services utilization and the reason for the last dental visit. Dental pain in the last six months was the outcome, while sex and age were covariates. The mediating effects were assessed by including interaction terms in logistic regression equations, as well as by the use of the KHB method, which estimated the direct, mediated and total effects of educational attainment on dental pain.
Results: The prevalence of dental pain was 17.5%. Education was negatively related to dental pain, although this association was not statistically significant. Both mediators – pattern of dental services utilization and reasons for the last dental visit – were associated with the dental pain, and educational attainment was associated with both mediators. Inconsistent mediation was detected. Interaction terms showed that individuals with less than 12 years of study who seek dental services occasionally, and who visited the dentist to solve dental problems had 20% higher odds of reporting dental pain than those with 12 or more years of study, who regularly seek the dentist for preventative reasons.
Conclusions: A regular pattern of dental services utilization and the use of services for preventative purposes may decrease the frequency of dental pain in less educated adults.