Patterns of dental visits and their predictors among male adolescents

Improved oral health outcomes, including better quality of life, are associated with dental attendance. Visiting a dental office is an important mode of behavior, especially among adolescents; however, the factors that influence the patterns of dental visits are not fully understood.

The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of visiting a dental office and its predictors among male adolescents.

This cross-sectional study involved a sample of 376 male adolescents (13-14 years old). Multi-stage random sampling was used to recruit participants from public schools in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. World Health Organization (WHO) oral health questionnaire for children was used for data collection. The χ2 test and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the predictors of dental attendance.

Fifty-one percent of studied adolescents (n = 192) visited the dentist during the last 12 months. Pain was the most common reason for the dental visit (22.9%), followed by a treatment or a follow-up (16.2%), and a routine dental check-up (9.3%). The participants with pain were 16.29 times more likely to visit a dental office than those without pain. Similarly, adolescents who had routine dental check-ups (odds ratio (OR) = 7.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.75, 15.15) and treatment or follow-ups had significantly higher odds (OR = 15.21, 95% CI = 7.22, 32.04) of making a dental visit than those without check-ups and treatment. In addition, the perception of good health of gums (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.33, 4.66) and difficulty in chewing (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.02, 3.92) were associated with dental attendance.

Visiting a dental office was common among male adolescents. Pain was the most important reason and a predictor for dental attendance, and a small proportion of adolescents made dental visits for routine dental check-ups. Oral health literacy should be improved through awareness programs in schools. Adolescents should be encouraged to regularly visit the dentist to maintain optimal oral health.