To examine the factors influencing children's visit to a dental clinic for the purpose of oral health protection, the present study was conducted by applying the Andersen Model. One thousand nine hundred seven children were selected for the study. The...
To examine the factors influencing children's visit to a dental clinic for the purpose of oral health protection, the present study was conducted by applying the Andersen Model. One thousand nine hundred seven children were selected for the study. The children were forth grade to sixth grade in elementary schools in Iksan city, Korea. Data was collected by using a questionnaire. The independent variables were composed of 31 predisposing components, eg the oral health belief of mother and child and the socioeconomic factor; 6 enabling components, eg the family income; and 1 need component measured based on the number of movement-restricted and unworkable days due to oral illness. The dependent variable was the frequency of visits to a dental clinic for the purpose of oral health protection until the survey day. For statistical analyses of collected data, the stepwise multiple regression and the path analysis were adopted.
Survey results were as follows:
1. The amount of variance of the Andersen Model for children's preventive dental visits was 16%.
2. Of predisposing, enabling and need factors, which are components of the Andersen Model, the predisposing factors showed the largest amount of variance for children's preventive dental visits .
3. Susceptibility among the factors with regard to the child's oral health belief showed the largest correlation with the children's preventive dental visits.
4. The results of the statistical analyses of the present study confirmed that the mother's belief, attitude and behavior and the socioeconomic factor have significant effects on the children's preventive dental visits.