Working Environment Factors Associated with Regular Dental Attendance.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Occupational Health
• Dental Epidemiology

Background:

• Regular dental attendance is crucial for preventive oral healthcare and early detection of dental issues.
• Workplace factors can influence an individual's ability to adhere to regular health appointments.
• Understanding these associations is vital for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between various working environment factors and regular dental attendance.
• To identify specific occupational characteristics that may impede consistent dental care utilization.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 488 patients aged 40-65 years, attending routine dental maintenance between 2003-2015, was analyzed.
• Data on employment format, overtime, night work, and subjective work evaluation were collected from general practitioners.
• Multiple logistic regression was employed to identify significant predictors of regular dental attendance.

Main Results:

• Night work emerged as a significant negative predictor of regular dental attendance, even after adjusting for demographic and employment variables.
• The odds ratio for night work was 0.220 (95% CI, 0.088-0.550), indicating a substantially reduced likelihood of attendance.
• Other investigated factors like overtime and employment format did not show a significant association.

Conclusions:

• Night work poses a significant barrier to maintaining regular dental appointments.
• Occupational health policies and dental care scheduling may need to consider the impact of night shifts on patient attendance.
• Further research could explore specific mechanisms linking night work to reduced dental attendance.