reliably associated with acceptable
brushing behavior, but this may be expected
given that tooth brushing is an
almost ubiquitous behavior. For fiossing,
age was the only demographic
characteristic that varied among subjects
with acceptable or unacceptable
behavior. It was somewhat surprising to
observe that our oldest subjects were
next most hkely to fioss after the 30
to 39 year-old group. This finding is
encouraging, but could also be due to
members of this group responding in a
normative fashion. However, because so
few subjects in any age group were flossing
adequately, education should still
be directed at all patients. The strong
statistical relation of yearly checkups
with the demographic and socioeconomic
characteristics demonstrates that
such issues as gender, race, income, and
education level still affect access to care.
In part, dental professionals can address
limited access either personally or
through appropriate media by educating
groups about the value of regular
preventive visits. Unfortunately, financial
barriers are more difficult to overcome.