Dental visits among adolescents: Social and behavioral correlates

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between reasons for visiting the dentist and the attendance pattern, and socio-demographic/behavioral correlates. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 9,203 Chilean students aged 12-21 years, obtained using a multistage random cluster procedure. Students provided information on oral health related behavior and socio-demographic variables. Schools headmasters provided information on monthly tuitions and annuals fees. The dichotomous outcomes ‘having visited the dentist more than a year ago' (yes/no); and ‘having visited the dentist due to the presence of symptoms' (yes/no) were computed, and a multivariable logistic regression model was obtained for each outcome, including the covariates age; gender; tooth brushing frequency; smoking; and annual education expenses. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed that students with more than a year since their last visit to the dentist were more likely to be older (OR=1.3), to be male (ref girls OR=0.9), to brush their teeth infrequently (OR=1.7), to smoke daily (OR=1.1), and to attend the schools of the poorer sector of the society (OR=2.7). Students who attended dentist owing to symptoms were more likely to be older (OR=1.6), to be female (OR=1.2), to smoke (OR=1.2), and to attend the poorer schools (OR=1.8). CONCLUSION: The results suggest the existence of gender, socioeconomic and behavioral differences in the reasons for and the frequency of dental visits among adolescents. The studied was funded in part by a grant from the Danish Medical Research Council.