rsons who have not had continual dental care throughout their lifetime suffer from more oral problems in old age. Dental anxiety is also a problem in maintaining constant oral care. A study of people between the ages of 50 and 89 showed that dental anxiety was higher among younger people in the study, but older people with dental anxiety were less likely to have had regular dental care earlier in life (17).
Social class appears to be related to oral health, with members of the lower social class in industrialized nations having poorer dental health, but the situation is reversed in non-industrialized countries with those in higher social classes having poorer dental health (Kent and Croucher, 1998, 19-20). Several theories have been put forward to explain this phenomenon, but the most likely reasons are the difference in living standards between rich and poor, and behavioral differences, with those from upper social classes having more appreciation for the benefits of a healthy diet and regular dental care in industrialized countries. The explanation for the poorer dental health in rich families in non-industrialized countries can be explained by the lack of adequate facilities there to provide preventive dental care (24).
One of the problems for dentists in incorporating sociological viewpoints into their practice is that they need to be able to look at it from the patient's perspective (Kent and Croucher, 1998, 10). While the major concern for the dentist is the oral health of the patient and the prevention of disease, from the patient's perspective, the measures he suggests may not be possible because of the patient's priorities (e.g. financial obligations, time constraints) or other difficulties.
Many people see a visit to the dentist as a last resort, only to be undertaken when something has gone wrong, and would not think of visiting the dentist for a routine check-up
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