Researchers: Shosh Shahrabani¹

Background: Routine dental examinations are important for early diagnosis and treatment of dental problems among older adults in order to improve the quality of life and avoid costly future treatments. In Israel, a significant percentage of adults do not seek dental care.

Objectives: 1. To examine the characteristics of those aged 50 and over who take care of their teeth, compared to those who do not take care of their teeth, according to socio-demographic, economic, and other variables.
2. To examine the factors influencing the demand of older adults in Israel for dental examination.

Method: The current study has two parts. The first part is based on 2013 SHARE data for older adults in Israel and identified differences in socio-demographic and other factors between those who do and do not take care of their teeth. The second part is based on a 2017 telephone survey conducted among 608 people age 50-75 in different population groups in Israel and examines their health beliefs and attitudes toward dental treatments.

Findings: The findings indicate that among older adults the decision to undergo dental checkups is affected by their socio-demographic status and their health beliefs with respect to dental health. Lower age, higher income levels, and Jewish religion predicted higher chances of getting frequent checkups. In addition, the chances of getting frequent checkups are greater when perceived benefits of dental checkups, perceived availability of dentists and level of health motivation are higher.

Conclusions: The findings indicate the gaps in dental examinations among different population groups in Israel.

Recommendations: To enhance the frequency of dental checkups among older adults in Israel, the dental reform should widen the range of adults to be covered by the government. In addition, planning for dental health services for the third-age population should be based upon the accepted beliefs and values of this population group.

Research end date: 05/2019