Longitudinal study of knowledge and attitudes towards dental care among young danish adults

The purpose of this report is to analyse determinants of knowledge and attitudes concerning dental health and care in three groups of young adults during three years of study and to analyse whether changes in knowledge and attitudes could be ascribed to differences in utilization of dental services, dental care delivery system, and other sociodemographic and dental variables. The young Danish adults (N = 808) participated in three different dental programs from age 16 to 19. Of these, 505 responded to questionnaires measuring knowledge and attitudes both at the start and at the end of the study. Multiple regression analysis showed that knowledge and attitude scores at the start of the study were the strongest predictors for scores at the end, whereas social class had significant effect on knowledge, and women had more positive attitudes than men. A considerable proportion had lower knowledge and more negative attitudes after than before the study. More positive perceptions of dentists' provision of oral health instruction were found in the group who had dental care in the public child dental service. The effectiveness of dental health education in routine dental care is seriously questioned.