FACTORS INFLUENCING DENTAL UTILIZATION BY US MILITARY RECRUITS

This study identifies factors that influence dental utilization by U.S . military recruits prior to entering military service. Data mere coll ected between February and June 1994 at one recruit in-processing site per service using self-administered questionnaires. A prestratified, systematic, random sample of 2,711 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine r ecruits was drawn. Women and minorities were oversampled. Using logist ic regression to determine what factors contribute to the likelihood o f recruits having seen a dentist over the past year reveals that the l ikelihood is greater for females, singles, Air Force personnel, Native Americans, and the better educated; the likelihood is less for recrui ts who are black, above 19 years old, from the Midwest, Southwest, or Pacific regions of the U.S., and who perceive a need for dental care. Education is the strongest predictor of dental utilization prior to en tering military service.