Factors related to missed and cancelled dental appointments among adolescents in Norway

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore possible explanatory factors related to high frequency of missed/cancelled dental appointments during the age group 12-18 yr. A total of 754 20 yr olds completed a questionnaire including variables measuring demographics, occupation (school/job), attendance pattern, attitudes to dentists, opinion about importance of dental treatment, and the psychometric scales Dental Fear Scale (DFS), Dental Beliefs Survey (DBS) and Geer Fear Scale (GFS). Based on written consents, the following data were recorded from their dental records: the total number of scheduled appointments, the number of missed and cancelled appointments and the individual caries experience of those in the age group 12-18 yr. A total of 124 subjects who had missed/cancelled 20% or more of their dental appointments during this age were defined as a target group. A stepwise regression model indicated that the likelihood of being included in the target group increased by a factor of 6.0 if the subject had forgotten dental appointments during the last 5 yr, by a factor of 3.5 for working or without specified occupation (as opposed to attending school), by a factor of 2.7 for negative beliefs of dentists, and by a factor of 2.1 for high caries experience.