title: Factors influencing older people's self reported use of dental services in the UK.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to determine the use of dental services and factors associated with their use among the United Kingdoms' older population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A national study involving 1,116 older people (aged 60 or older).
  
  
  METHODS
  Home Interviews were undertaken exploring the time and reason for last dental visit. In addition, socio-demographic characteristics and proxy oral health measures (self-reported number of teeth and edentulous status) of the respondents were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty seven percent (528) claimed they visited the dentist within the past year, 10% (116) claimed that the reason for their last visit was because of a dental emergency, 43% (484) were classified as "regular attenders"--having attended the dentist within the past year for a non dental emergency. Bivariate analysis identified that regular dental attendance was associated with age (P < 0.01), social class (P < 0.01), income level (P < 0.01), educational attainment (P < 0.01), self-reported number of teeth possessed (P < 0.01) and edentulous status (P < 0.01). In regression analysis, self reported edentulous status and number of teeth possessed emerged as the most important factors in determining service utilisation. Possessing a full denture was associated with a 6-fold decrease, having accounted for other factors, in the likelihood of attending the dentist within the past year for a non dental-emergency (OR = 0.15, CI 0.10, 0.21).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Less than half of the sample population were "regular dental attenders", their attendance was associated with a number of socio-demographic and oral health factors. In particular, edentulous state was a major factor associated with their use of services.
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Disability, Culture and Oral Health, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, University of London. C.Mcgrath@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bedi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dhawan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D003778:Dentures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012923:Social Class; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology