Al. Suominen-taipale et al., Trends in self-reported use of dental services among Finnish adults duringtwo decades, COMM DENT H, 17(1), 2000, pp. 31-37
Objective To analyse trends in the prevalence of and determinants for denta
l care utilisation among Finnish adults of working age during two decades.
Basic research design and participants The National Public Health Institute
has, since 1978, conducted annual surveys of health behaviour among the wh
ole Finnish adult population (aged 15-64 years). Data collected through mai
led questionnaires have included questions on dental utilisation. Sample si
zes have varied from 5,000 to 6,000 and response rates from 68% to 85%. Res
ults The use of dental services increased in the period 1978 to 1997 from 5
3% to 64% (P < 0.001) of the population. Women and persons belonging to the
younger age groups were the most frequent visitors, and older persons the
least frequent due to the greater prevalence of edentulousness. During the
period, differences in the use of services associated with region, level of
education and occupation declined. During the first decade, a clear increa
se in dental utilisation was found in younger age groups and during the lat
ter decade in older age groups. Significant predictors for the utilisation
of services were the number of missing teeth, age, gender, occupation and t
oothbrushing frequency in 1997. Conclusions The utilisation of dental servi
ces has increased slowly since 1978 but remains lower than in other Nordic
countries. In a country where the supply of services is abundant, the major
determinant of the use of services is the number of teeth an individual ha
s.