Study on the Utilization Factors of Oral Health Services of Children Aged 7-8 Years in Weifang

OBJECTIVES:This study aims to determine factors influencing the oral health service utilization behavior of children aged 7-8 years in Weifang based on Anderson health services utilization model.METHODS:Based on the National Comprehensive Oral Disease Intervention Project, 1 826 children aged 7-8 years were selected from 10 elementary schools in four districts of Weifang City by whole-group random sampling as the study population. The modified Anderson model was used as the theoretical framework to explore the effects of situational characteristics, population characteristics, and medical behavior on children ' s oral health service utilization.RESULTS:The oral visit rate of children within 1 year was 39.8% (726 cases), of which 47.2% (342 cases) were curative visits, 20.9% (152 cases) were consultative visits, and 10.7% (78 cases) were preventive visits. Multi-factor logistic regression analysis showed that frequent parental supervision during tooth brushing, frequent parental observation of dental health, parental education level of college and above, experience of dental pain or discomfort in the last year, and poor oral health evaluated by physician were the main factors that influenced the utilization of oral health services among children (P<0.05).CONCLUSIONS:The rate of preventive dental visits of children is low, and parents' awareness of children ' s oral health care affects the utilization rate of oral health services. Hence, parents should be taught more about children ' s oral health care to improve the utilization of children ' s health services.