Determinants for dental visit behavior among Hong Kong Chinese in a longitudinal study

Objectives: The aim of this research was to study the major determinants fo r dental services utilization among middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese in a long itudinal study using an expanded Andersen and Newman model as the theoretic al framework. Methods: A random sample of 372 middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese were interviewed and clinically examined in an oral health survey. The fin dings were explained to the subjects and they were advised to seek care fro m their own dentist as appropriate. Results: A total of 322 subjects were i nterviewed over the telephone after 12 months. About half had visited a den tist within the study period. Results of the bivariate analysis showed that proportionally more subjects who had dental benefit coverage, had preventi on-oriented attitudes, were regular users of dental services, had received counseling from a dentist, or had more filled teeth at the baseline examina tion had visited a dentist within the study period. Logistic regression ana lysis produced a final model consisting of seven factors and three interact ion terms that was able to classify 68 percent of the subjects into the cor rect user category. Conclusion: The expanded Andersen and Newman model was useful as a theoretical framework in studying the dental services utilizati on behaviors of the Hong Kong adults.