Determinants of utilization of dental services among 20- to 34-year-old Danes

Our aim was to identify determinants of utilization of dental services among 20- to 34-year-old Danes as outlined in a conceptual framework. Our sample consisted of a sample of 464 individuals who had been interviewed by 10 experienced interviewers from The Danish National Institute of Social Research. Our questionnaire comprised a battery of questions based on our conceptual model. The analysis was done in a hierarchical manner using a framework with three steps: Predisposing factors --> Enabling factors --> Need factors --> Utilization. Associations were evaluated with multivariate logistic regression analysis and expressed as odds ratios. The following factors were significantly associated with irregular use of dental services: age, sex, exercise habits, cost of dental treatment, dental anxiety, and perceived condition of teeth. Our findings suggest that a strategy aiming to increase young people's dental attendance should focus on the transition period that is, when the youngsters leave the public dental health care system and have to make use of the private system. The strategy should also take into account that young men are more likely to become non-users. A concerted effort could be dedicated to the non-negligible group of individuals with dental anxiety and dental phobia.