Analysis of the willingness of community residents of Chengdu city to participate in various modes of family dental services and the factors influencing their decision.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the various modes of family dental services available in Chengdu city, China and to analyze the willingness of community residents to sign the contract for these services and the factors influencing their decision to do so.

METHODS

From September 2020 to October 2020, nine communities in Chengdu city were sampled via stratified multiple-stage random sampling and surveyed by sending questionnaires. The questionnaire sought to gather information on the residents' sociodemographic characteristics, their intention to participate in family dental services, and determine their knowledge of oral health cognition and behavior.

RESULTS

A total of 1 227 valid questionnaires were collected. Among the community residents surveyed, 24.78% stated that they were willing to participate in family dental services. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the factors affecting the residents' willingness to participate in various modes of family dental services were age (=0.571, <0.05), type of medical insurance (=1.534, <0.05), level of oral health knowledge (=1.363, <0.05), oral health behavior [including the number of time they brush their teeth (=1.464, <0.05), and the frequency of seeking oral medical treatment(=1.780, 2.174, <0.05)].

CONCLUSIONS

The demand of community residents for the family dental services needs to be improved. Young and middle-aged people showed more enthusiasm than older adults to seek family dental services. The type of medical insurance they have and the level of their health literacy were the primary factors that influence their decision to seek such services. Information and education campaigns on oral health should be strengthened to enhance the public's knowledge of this important aspect of hygiene and overall health and promote the development of various modes of family dental services.