Self reported use of dental services among employed adults in Sri Lanka

Aim: To determine the patterns and variables associated with self-reported use of dental services among employed adults in Sri Lanka. Design: A cross sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. Setting: Five representative public sector institutions in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. Participants: A total of 210 employees. Results: Ninety per cent of the employees had used dental services, the majority for symptomatic reasons. Of the respondents, 63% had visited a dentist in the preceding 24 months. According to the logistic regression analysis, gender and presence of pain within the past six months were significant predictors of dental utilisation. Conclusions: Andersen and Newman's behavioural model of health services utilisation was of limited value in explaining dental utilisation of this sample of employed adults as only one predisposing factor and a single factor related to need were significant predictors of the use of dental services.