Determinants and barriers for visiting a dental clinic among (frail) older individuals

Aims: With increasing age, the proportion of older individuals visiting a dental clinic decreases. The aim was to gain insight into a) whether frailty or dental status were associated with visiting a dental clinic and b) their perceived barriers to accessing oral health care.

Methods: Individuals eligible for the yearly influenza vaccination in Winschoten, The Netherlands, were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey about dental visits and perceived barriers to such visits.

Results: A total of 1027 individuals aged 60+ completed the questionnaire − 80% of the non-frail, 71% of the mildly frail and 60% of the moderately to severe frail individuals visited a dental clinic in the previous year. Dental status was the crucial determinant for not visiting a dental clinic. Edentate individuals were more likely to drop out of the dental care system than dentate individuals or individuals with partial prostheses. A higher proportion of moderately and severe frail people were edentate than non-frail or mildly frail people. Barriers to visiting a dentist were making an appointment, costs, and services available.

Conclusions: Dental clinicians should pay attention to the barriers that they can influence. The influenza vaccination seems to be an interesting momentum for identifying people who have dropped out of the oral healthcare system.