Socially constructed beliefs and the uptake of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule

Background

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides automatic access to subsidized dental care for eligible Australian children, but uptake is low. As cost is not a factor, socially constructed perceptions, which may be subscribed to without personal experience, were explored as potential barriers.

Methods

Two studies with parents (child <18 years) were conducted. In Study one (N=317) participants completed a free-response task eliciting socially constructed perceptions about the dentist. These were factor-analysed in Study two (N=231), and the salience of these perceptions in relation to uptake was measured for the 113 eligible to access the CDBS participants.

Results

In Study one, similar positive, negative, procedural and time words were elicited across conditions. Study two revealed Negative, Positive and Hassle perception factors associated with the dentist and that 61% of eligible participants had accessed the CDBS. Generalized Structural Equation Modelling with eligible participants revealed Positive and Negative perceptions were negatively correlated, Negative perceptions were positively correlated with Hassle, and, as Hassle increased, the probability of parents accessing the CDBS significantly decreased.

Conclusions

Confusion around eligibility to access CDBS is still an issue. Low CDBS uptake may be associated with perceived hassle associated with the dentist, which may reflect parental negative perceptions. © 2024 Australian Dental Association.