Factors Related to the Intention to Use Dental Care by Industrial Workers Due to COVID-19: Application of Anderson Model and Planned Behavior Theory

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected medical and dental care in Korea. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the intention to use dental care in industrial workers, an economically active population. An online questionnaire survey was completed by 301 industrial workers. Stress and anxiety to viral epidemics-6 (SAVE-6), attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, and intention to use dental care, based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), were measured. Predisposing, enabling, and need factors based on the Andersen model were measured as control variables for influencing factors. In the final hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the most significant relevant factors affecting intention to use dental care were attitude (beta = 0.598, p < 0.001), followed by experience of dental clinic visits (beta = 0.237, p < 0.001), subjective norm (beta = 0.125, p < 0.001), perceived behavior control (beta = 0.114, p = 0.004), SAVE-6 (beta = -0.073, p = 0.025), and gingival bleeding (beta = 0.062, p = 0.029). Dental care use decreased to 58.5%, and socio-psychological factors based on TPB were closely associated with the intention to use dental care. Therefore, awareness must be raised regarding oral health practices to increase the use of dental care among industrial workers.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected dental care utilization among industrial workers in Korea. Attitude, experience, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, stress and anxiety, and gingival bleeding were found to be significant factors influencing the intention to use dental care. It is important to raise awareness about oral health practices to increase dental care utilization among this population.