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Oral health service utilization patterns among preschool children in Beijing, China
Mengru Xu1, Chao Yuan1, Xiangyu Sun1
1Department of Preventive Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, 22 Zhongguancun Avenue South, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Low oral health service utilization in Chinese preschoolers is linked to factors like dental pain and perceived poor oral health. Access to regular dental care resources significantly increases service use among young children.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Oral health service utilization among children in China is notably low.
- Understanding utilization patterns and influencing factors is crucial for improving pediatric oral health.
- The Andersen behavioral model provides a framework for analyzing these factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate oral health service utilization patterns in preschool children in Beijing, China.
- To identify factors associated with oral health service utilization among this population.
- To apply the Andersen behavioral model to understand these associations.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 1425 preschool children aged 2-6 years in Beijing.
- Data collected via parent/caregiver questionnaires and oral health examinations.
- Statistical analyses included Chi-square tests, t-tests, and regression models.
Main Results:
- 45.5% of children utilized oral health services in the past 12 months; 24.3% received preventive services.
- Utilization was higher in children attending kindergartens with oral health resources, those with perceived poor oral health, more decayed teeth (dmft), and dental pain.
- Frequent utilization correlated with dental pain, greater access to services, and worse perceived oral health.
Conclusions:
- Access to regular oral health care resources is strongly associated with increased service utilization in preschool children.
- Worse perceived oral health and experiencing dental pain are significant predictors of higher oral health service utilization.
- Targeted interventions can improve pediatric oral health service access and utilization in China.
Background:
The utilization of oral health services in children remains at a relatively low level in China. However, little is known about the utilization patterns and related factors. The objective of this study was to explore the patterns of oral health service utilization and to determine the related factors among preschool children in Beijing, China, based on the Andersen behavioral model.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 1425 preschool children aged 2 to 6 years was carried out in five kindergartens in Beijing, China. A questionnaire investigation of parents/caregivers was performed to collect information on oral health service utilization. Oral health needs were evaluated through oral health examinations. Chi-square tests, t-tests, multivariate logistic regression and negative binomial regression were used in this study to identify the variables associated with oral health service utilization.
Results:
In total, 648 (45.5%) children had utilized oral health services in the past 12 months, while 24.3% had utilized preventive oral health services. Routine checkups and receiving preventive measures accounted for 63.2% of the children who utilized oral health services in the past 12 months. Children were more likely to have utilized oral health services in the past 12 months if they attended kindergartens with regular oral health care resources, if their oral health status as perceived by their parents/parents was "fair" or "poor", if they had more decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) and if they had experienced more dental pain. In addition, children with more dental pain and more access to oral health services, whose oral health status was perceived by parents/caregivers as worse tended to have utilized oral health services more frequently in the past 12 months.
Conclusions:
In conclusion, we found a strong association between access to regular oral health care resources and oral health service utilization among preschool children. Children whose oral health status was perceived by parents/caregivers as worse and who had more dental pain were more likely to have utilized oral health services in China.
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