This study explored a promising theoretical model to explain dental patients' experiences and planning behavior for future appointments. The model predicts that patients pass through a 'psychological cycle' when undergoing a course of dental care: past appointment experiences influence their anticipations for future dental visits, which in turn affect behavioral intentions to attend appointments.
Variables representing the hypothesized model stages and other potentially relevant context variables (dental anxiety, subjective oral health ratings, general anxiety, stress) were assessed by means of a cross-sectional online survey (n = 311). Multiple regression analyses were calculated to estimate the model's fit while controlling for potentially confounding factors.
Consistent with the hypothesized cycle, recollections of past appointment experiences influenced behavioral intentions to attend future appointments. This association was mediated by evaluations of prior visits and expectations for future appointments. The variables included within this model explained 42% of the variance in attendance intentions when controlling for the potential moderating effects of context variables.
The findings highlight the contribution of cognitive factors, such as evaluations and expectations, to patients' attendance intentions. This knowledge could help find ways to improve treatment expectations to foster better dental service utilization.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 09 May 2016.
All research outputs
#21,564,249
of 34,357,314 outputs
Outputs from Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology
#1,234
of 1,633 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#183,662
of 335,704 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Community Dentistry & Oral Epidemiology
#7
of 17 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,357,314 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 37th percentile – i.e., 37% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,633 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 9.9. This one is in the 24th percentile – i.e., 24% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 335,704 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 45th percentile – i.e., 45% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 17 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 58% of its contemporaries.
