Cost-prohibitive dental care needs among Canadians

OBJECTIVES: Using results from a survey of 1006 randomly selected Canadians conducted by Quiñonez and Locker (2007) the characteristics of the 26% who said they could not afford dental care in the past were examined. The types of dental needs selected as unaffordable were outlined and the predictors of choosing a particular need were determined. These perceived needs were then compared to normative needs as established by the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS, 2009). METHODS: Using SPSS 17.0, socio-demographic and dental related variables were analyzed and chi-square tests were used to assess relationships between self-reported dental care behaviors and socio-demographic characteristics with each service selected as unaffordable. RESULTS: The majority of those who had a cost-prohibitive dental need in the past said they pay for dental care out-of-pocket (56%). 74% of females chose crowns as unaffordable, 72% of those aged 35 to 54 years selected braces, 65% of those with equal to or less than a high school education chose dentures, 62% of those with a lower education chose extractions. Comparison to CHMS established that there was a much greater need for restorations than perceived by the population. CONCLUSIONS: Inequalities in the utilization and need of dental treatments were apparent. Most Canadians who deemed dental care unaffordable were uninsured and had a low income. Other variables such as gender, age and education influenced having cost-prohibitive needs and the types of services selected as unaffordable. There were discrepancies between normative clinical needs and self-reported perceived needs.