SATISFACTION WITH DENTAL-CARE AMONG ELDERLY FINNISH MEN

To study satisfaction with dental care among elderly Finnish men and t o estimate the role of different factors affecting it, a questionnaire was sent to a systematic sample of 2043 elderly Finnish men (mean age 73 years). Acceptably filled-out questionnaires were returned by 1561 , a participation rate of 76.4%. The questionnaire included 44 questio ns concerning dental and denture services and a modified 14-item Denta l Satisfaction Questionnaire. The subjects were asked to express how s trongly they agreed or disagreed with each of the 14 statements. These were later transformed and recoded to indicate level of satisfaction from +2 (very satisfied) to -2 (very dissatisfied). Overall satisfacti on was estimated by summing up all the 14 scores. Dentate subjects wer e significantly (P<0.01) more satisfied than the edentulous. Subjects were least satisfied with dental care fees and most satisfied with acc essibility and availability of services. Dentate subjects viewed almos t all 14 items significantly more favorably than did the edentulous. E conomics was seen to have a strong influence on dissatisfaction with d ental care fees, which was related to income level. Maintaining the re maining dentition and supporting the dentition with fixed or removable dentures seem to be the means to increase satisfaction among the dent ate. The benefits of belonging to a clinic's recall system should be e xplained thoroughly to the elderly.