Satisfaction of active duty U.S. service members with military dental care

This study explores the satisfaction of active duty service members with military dental care. The data were collected from April 1994 to January 1995. A prestratified, random sample of 15,915 service members was drawn. Of 12,050 respondents (81% response rate), 11,200 had an annual dental visit and answered 22 questions on satisfaction with military dental care. We calculated simple descriptive statistics and derived a composite overall satisfaction score using factor analysis. We then converted composite scores into a satisfaction index, a continuous variable with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 10. The satisfaction index was regressed on respondent demographics to determine which factors influence service members' overall satisfaction with military dental care. Results show that satisfaction with military dental care is high and consistent across respondent demographics. However, because this study was conducted before the recent, sizable drawdown of military dental personnel, these findings may not describe the current state of satisfaction with military dental care.