An analysis of the demand for regular dental health care: implications for marketing

The more information a dentist has concerning factors that affect the demand or lack of demand for dental care the greater his or her capability to profile client markets. Logically the more exact the profiling of clients (potential clients) the better able the dentist is to develop a marketing program that is responsive to various market segments. In this paper the authors report findings extracted from an extensive health assessment survey which shed light on factors influencing the demand for dental services. Responses from 1934 residents of a large southeastern metropolitan area were analyzed. Statistical analyses of the data were conducted to determine whether or not a relationship existed between dental care utilization and the presence/absence of dental insurance, gender, racial/ethnic background, and household income. The potential implications these factors may have on marketing a dental practice are explored and recommendations presented.