Objective: To develop probability model for dental visits based on analysis of the factors affecting people's dental services utilization in urban area of Beijing, thus providing some evidence for forecasting further demanded dental care and building the more efficient oral health care delivery system.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted amnog 1,517 subjects of all age groups in Beijing selected by stratified, clustering, random sampling. The first model of dental care demand--probability model for dental visits was established with logistic regression.
Results: Awareness of oral health showed the most important relationship. Different social background and economic factors also had great effects on demand. Higher demand for care were existed among those who suffered from a disease that was painful or resulted in poor oral function.
Conclusions: It is suggested that dental care has different characters from general health service. Utilization of dental service is largely determined by people's awareness, income and insurance system. So oral health education should be extended in order to promote the effective demands and reduce the potential demands. Rational oral health insurance system should be set up to provide some priority to certain people, thus stimulating the supply of dental care and improving the utilization of dental service. Since raising price for care will restrain the low-incomer's basic demand, and it will neither add the profit nor improve people's oral health, the price decision should be considered carefully. At last, oral health care should be emphasized on children and adolescent as priority age groups based on the conclusion from demand model.