A dentist and his patient. New research from the University of Adelaide shows cost, not fear, is the most commonly cited reason for Australians avoiding the dentist. Photo by iStock.
New research from the University of Adelaide shows that more than two-thirds of Australians who avoid going to the dentist do so because of cost.
The research results – now published in the Australian Dental Journal – place cost well ahead of fear, lack of time, lack of interest and other main reasons for avoiding the dentist’s chair.
In a survey of more than 1000 Australians, researchers have found that cost is an even greater reason not to visit the dentist than previously thought.
“Our results show that just over two-thirds (67%) of people avoided going to the dentist or went to the dentist less often than they felt they needed to, for different reasons,” says lead author Dr Jason Armfield, from the University of Adelaide’s School of Dentistry and the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health.