What drives a person to book and attend a dental check-up?

A new study out of Japan indicates that patients most predisposed to scheduling a visit to their dentist both understand their role in preventing oral disease but also already maintain good oral hygiene.

The aim of the study was to investigate the factors, according to a Dental Tribune report, “that influence willingness to attend dental check-ups regularly [in the hope that it] may inform public health communication and other means of motivating patients.”

Cognizant of the fact that risk factors for oral disease can be mitigated by regular check-ups with a dentist and consistent daily brushing and flossing, the study found that "participants were more likely to see themselves facing a risk of a negative health outcome in addition to seeing a clear benefit, they were more motivated to engage in preventive health actions."

Further, people were more inclined to attend a check-up with their dentist if they already undertook good oral hygiene, driven by an appreciation of the increased good such a visit would mean for their overall oral health.

Overall, positive rather negative reinforcement appeared to be most motivating.

“It would be expected that risk aversion would drive people to adopt healthy behaviours; however, risk aversion was not demonstrated to be a factor in scheduling dental check-ups.”

For more on this study and for the full article, visit "New study looks at factors that influence willingness to attend dental check-ups"