Barriers to seeking preventive dental care by Kuwaiti adults.
Med Princ Pract
; 16(6): 413-9, 2007.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-17917439
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of preventive dental visits and to identify self-reported barriers for this practice among Kuwaiti adults. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
A self-administered, anonymous, structured questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of Kuwaiti nationals 18 years of age or older recruited from all six health districts of Kuwait. A total of 2,400 questionnaires were distributed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors independently associated with not having a preventive dental visit for more than 1 year.RESULTS:
Of the 2,400 questionnaires, 1,925 (80.2%) were completed. Of these, 620 (32.2%) had a dental visit within the previous 6 months, 504 (26.2%) between 6 and 12 months and 801 (41.6%) more than 12 months ago. The most common reasons for the last dental visits were pain or a dental emergency, need for restorative treatment, and an examination/prophylaxis. The strongest factors for not having preventive visits were not using a mouthrinse daily, flossing less than once a day, dental fear, belief that there is no need for visits unless pain was present, brushing the teeth less than twice a day, and believing that appointments are too far ahead. Also older respondents (>30 years), female gender, and those having only high school education or less were less likely to visit a dentist for preventive reasons.CONCLUSION:
More than half of the studied population reported not having had a preventive visit for more than 1 year. Unfavorable self-care habits, dental fear and belief that visiting a dentist is necessary only for pain relief were the strongest factors for the nonattendance behavior.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Visita a Consultório Médico
/
Profilaxia Dentária
/
Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2007
Tipo de documento:
Article