An exploratory qualitative study examining the social and psychological processes involved in regular dental attendance

Objective: This study aimed to provide a description of the psychosocial pr ocess involved in regular dental attendance. Methods: The study design was a qualitative cross-sectional study using unstructured and semistructured i nterviews and observations of regular dental visits. The study participants included 12 men and 18 women attending general dental practices and six me n and four women attending an emergency dental service. The data were syste matically recorded and subjected to line-by-line grounded theory coding aro und the main concerns of those attending the dentist. Results: The main con cern of those attending for a regular dental visit was checking their oral health. The six-month recall was conceptualized as a checking cycle in six phases: recalling, responding, inducing (i), waiting inducing (ii), and tel ling. The possible outcomes of the cycle were maintaining oral health, sust aining oral health, and a further checking cycle. Variations in checking cy cles resulted from reordering and normalizing pressures within participants ' lifestyles. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that people's patterns of dental attendance are similar to those of other chronic illnes ses. An understanding of the dynamic psychosocial processes involved in fre quent dental attendance may be achieved when further research into this phe nomenon is conducted.