Long-term dental visiting patterns and adult oral health

To date,the evidence supporting the benefits of dental visiting comes from cross-sectional studies. we investigated whether long-term routine dental visiting was associated with lower experience of dental caries and missing teeth,and better self-rated oral health,by age 32. a prospective cohort study in new zealand examined 932 participantsĝ use of dentistry at ages 15,18,26,and 32. at each age,routine attenders (ras) were identified as those who (a) usually visited for a check-up,and (b) had made a dental visit during the previous 12 months. routine attending prevalence fell from 82% at age 15 to 28% by 32. at any given age,routine attenders had better-than-average oral health,fewer had teeth missing due to caries,and they had lower mean ds and dmfs scores. by age 32,routine attenders had better self-reported oral health and less tooth loss and caries. the longer routine attendance was maintained,the stronger the effect. routine dental attendance is associated with better oral health.