Evaluating the effect of usual source of dental care on access to dental services: Comparisons among diverse populations

Data collected from the International Collaborative Study of Oral Health Ou tcomes USA (ICS-II) research locations were used to evaluate the relationsh ip between having a usual source of dental care (USDC) and access to dental services. The robustness of the USDC effect after reducing simultaneity bi as was tested in the population-based samples using sensitivity analysis. L ogistic regression results provided evidence that USDC was the strongest an d most consistent predictor of a dental visit br the past 12 months regardl ess of geographic location, denial care delivery system, or cultural divers ity of the population. Even after removing cases that had a USDC for less t han 1 or 2 years, the effect remained. From a policy perspective, USDC rema ins critical to understanding and explaining dental care utilization patter ns. The findings suggest the need for designing interventions to increase t he availability of a regular provider among vulnerable populations.