Determinants of dental service utilization among 2 to 11-year-old California children

Abstract

Objective: The 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) was designed to elicit population-based estimates about health care access and insurance coverage. This study aimed to determine factors associated with dental service utilization among children ages 2 to 11 years in California.

Methods: CHIS was a random digit dialing telephone survey. Interviews were conducted with the adult in the household that was most knowledgeable about the child's care, and information was collected on the child's last dental visit.

Results: Data on dental visits were collected on 10,569 children ages 2-11 years. In 2001, 73.5 (+/- 0.6)% of children had a dental visit, 58.2 (+/- 0.6)% a preventive dental visit, while 18.3 (+/- 0.5)% had never visited the dentist. Nearly 1 million children had never visited the dentist, primarily children ages 2-5 years. Overall, 76.3 (+/- 0.6)% of children had dental insurance. Children with a past-year dental visit were likely to be school age, insured and from high-income households. Other predictors of utilization were the responding adult's age and educational attainment.

Conclusion: Dental service utilization is determined by a mix of parental, child and household factors.