Determinants of dental care utilization by the adult population in Buenos Aires

To establish the frequency with which the general population is seen by a dentist and the variables associated with the lack of regular dental check-ups.

A cross-sectional study with a descriptive and analytical phase conducted in an urban community in Argentina. A sample population was obtained by stratified method. Socioeconomic conditions (measure by UBN index), health, health coverage, level of education and location of the households with respect to the dental clinics were all taken into consideration in selecting the sample. We performed a uni-and multivariate analysis. The statistical software used was SPSS 9.0 for Windows and EpiInfo6 Version 6.0.

We observed significant associations between the lack of dental care and poverty levels, presence of UBN, living in the suburbs or at a remote distance from dental clinics, and the lack of health insurance. However, in a multiple regression analysis, only the geographical and socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents and their households had statistical significance.

The section of the community that is less likely to visit their dentist regularly are those with higher socio-economic risk. Having health insurance or having a dental clinic close to home does not ensure more frequent check-ups. Given that, as demonstrated in this work, spontaneous demand for attention is extremely low, public policies should aim to include this vulnerable population in preventive and scheduled care.