Assessing Patients' Preferences for Preventive Dental Care: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Background It is crucial to recognize patients' behavioral responses to improve oral healthcare delivery. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) is typically used to measure service user preferences. The purpose of this study was to examine the preferences of the Saudi population regarding primary dental care using a DCE. Materials and methods An online DCE survey was distributed among adults aged 18 years and older living in Saudi Arabia. An orthogonal design was used to reduce the number of combinations while maintaining the main effects that reflect patient preferences. Respondents were presented with a reduced set of 10 cards (tasks), and each of the cards had two concepts (offers). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the sample characteristics. The coefficients were calculated based on discrete choice results on the Qualtrics platform. Results A total of 532 participants completed the survey. Among patients seeking a preventive dental visit, the ability to get an appointment was rated the most important influence on their decision with a relative importance of 41%, followed by the dental care provider (29%) and the dental clinic in relation to the sector and the fees (20%). The least important attribute was the waiting time in minutes, with a relative importance of 10%. Conclusion The study findings revealed that patients make trade-offs when deciding to receive primary dental care. Policymakers can use the study's findings to inform their decisions concerning dental clinic services. The study results suggest that it is possible to improve access to primary dental care by improving the accessibility of appointments.