Do regular attenders have better oral health?

Key Points

• Regular care is defined as a visit for care within two years.

• Oral health is defined within the psychosocial framework of 'discomfort, disabiliy and discontent'.

• Significantly more registered patients are regular than irregular attenders.

• Significantly more regular attendees are healthier compared with irregular and new patients.

• A 15 month registration time frame is inconsistent with developing equitable services.

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the impact of attendance patterns on oral health in the context of government policy on dental care and registration in the UK.

Method The data involved 643 consecutive patient responses to a questionnaire on dental health taken from a survey that was conducted during 1998 in an urban area of Swansea. The survey continued for a period of six months and covered patients of 18 years of age and over, responding to a questionnaire on the subjective oral health status indicators including the pattern of their attendance to dental practices.

Results Regular dental care attendance has a significant positive impact on dental health while its impact on the number of teeth present is insignificant. Regular attendees also suffer significantly less from the severity, prevalence, social and psychological impacts of dental health problems.

Conclusion Regular dental attendance is associated with better oral health when regularity of care is defined as a visit within a two-year period. The rationality of a 15 month registration period is therefore debatable in the context of developing equitable services.

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