Patterns of use of oral health care services and barriers to dental care among ambulatory older Chilean

Abstract

Background: This paper describes the patterns of use of oral health care services among ambulant 65-74 years or older adults, living in the Maule Region of Chile, factors associated with their use of oral health care services, and self-reported barriers to using oral health care services. Methods: Four hundred and thirty eight older adults, aged 65-74 years, living independently in the community were orally examined and underwent an oral health interview. Recency of visits was related to the use of oral health care services within the 12 months prior to the study. Results: 31.5% of respondents had used oral health services in the previous 12 months. In multivariate analyses, those living in ..