Personality and dental care utilization: findings from the VA longitudinal study.
The personality traits of introversion/extraversion and neuroticism were investigated as determinants of the utilization of restorative dental care, controlling for socioeconomic status and restorative need. The VA Dental Longitudinal Study (DLS) provided information on the restorative treatment received by 593 healthy adult males during a 10-year period. Utilization of restorative services was measured by calculating the percentage of surfaces that needed and received treatment, as identified by the DLS examiners by clinical and radiographic examination. Oral examinations were initiated in 1969 with subsequent examinations occurring at approximately 3-year intervals. Personality measures for these individuals were obtained using the EPI-Q, a shortened form of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. A plot of neuroticism versus the utilization measure yielded a curvilinear relationship suggesting that participants seeking the most dental care scored moderately on the neuroticism scale while those scoring lowest and highest on this scale sought less treatment. In contrast, the introversion/extraversion scale showed no apparent relationship with dental care utilization. Results from the regression analysis suggest that dentition and socioeconomic status are strong determinants of utilization and that need for restorative treatment influences utilization.
Kennedy
B D
BD
Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic, Boston, USA.
Aldwin
C M
CM
Bossé
R
R
Douglass
C W
CW
Chauncey
H H
HH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs