Dental visit satisfaction in a group of adults aged 50 years and over.

Studies have found that utilization of dental services is generally less common than utilization of medical services, particularly by older persons. Because satisfied dental patients were found to be greater users of the service than nonsatisfied patients, it was decided to investigate the correlates of dental visit satisfaction in older subjects. Predictions that satisfaction would be positively related to regular use of dental services and negatively related to dental anxiety were confirmed. The results also suggested that older dental patients have different expectations of their dentists than younger ones.