Preventive Dental Checkups and Their Association With Access to Usual Source of Care Among Rural and Urban Adult Residents

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the relationship between rural or urban residence and having a usual source of care (USC), and the utilization of preventive dental checkups among adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2012. We performed a logit regression on the relationship between rural and urban residence, having a USC, and having at least 1 dental checkup in the past year, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and health status.

Findings: After controlling for covariates, rural adult residents had significantly lower odds of having at least 1 dental checkup per year compared to their urban counterparts (odds ratio [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.62-0.86, P < .001). Additionally, individuals with a USC had higher odds of having at least 1 dental checkup per year (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.59-1.95, P < .001). Among both rural and urban residents, having a USC was significantly associated with an 11% (95% CI = 9%-13%) increase in the probability of having a preventive dental checkup within a year.

Conclusions: Individuals with a USC were more likely to obtain a preventive dental visit, with similar effects in rural and urban settings. We attributed the lower odds of having a checkup in rural regions to the lower density of oral health care providers in these areas. Integration of rural oral health care into primary care may help mitigate the challenges due to a shortage of oral health care providers in rural areas.