Use of services, care-seeking behavior and satisfaction among university dental clinic patients in Finland.

This paper analyzes use of services, behavioral features and their intercorrelations among a random sample of 94 patients visiting University of Connecticut dental clinics. The data were collected in interviews and patient records. In care seeking the greatest percentage (34%) of respondents relied on the advice of friends, relatives or neighbors. This finding confirms the importance of the lay referring system. The influence of regular source of care was apparent when patients' frequency of visits in clinics exceeded considerably their visit frequency in the past. Even earlier irregular visitors made many visits during the past 12 months. The following dimensions of satisfaction were measured: difficulty in getting an appointment, general satisfaction with care, costs of care in general, convenience in treatment and satisfaction with oral health. The results show that opinions toward care and about dental health were dominantly positive ranging from 60 to 94% of all the answers. Costs were regarded as high by 54% of the subjects. There was a positive and significant correlation between degree of utilization and satisfaction with care. The correlation between satisfaction with oral health and number of teeth was non-significant. There were several cumulative correlations, which suggests that one health related feature may predict a similar tendency in other health behaviors.