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Abstract

Background: Dependent elderly individuals face challenges in accessing dental services. Caregivers play a key role in facilitating this access. This study explored factors influencing caregivers’ decisions to bring bedridden elderly individuals to receive dental care.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 540 randomly selected caregivers from a total of 1,216 in Buriram province. Data collected included caregiver demographics (age, gender, education, income, household size, living arrangements, and transportation used) and factors affecting access to public dental services. A structured interview tool assessed five dimensions: service adequacy (α = 0.776), service access (α = 0.864), convenience (α = 0.720), ability to pay (α = 0.882), and service quality acceptance (α = 0.834). Data collection occurred from December 2024 to January 2025. Analysis involved descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and logistic regression.

Results: Key factors significantly associated with dental service utilization were service access (Adj OR = 4.161, 95% CI: 2.331–7.427), convenience (Adj OR = 19.715, 95% CI: 10.725–36.240), and quality acceptance (Adj OR = 6.699, 95% CI: 3.515–12.767), all with p < 0.001.

Conclusion: Service access, convenience, and acceptance of quality significantly influence caregivers’ decisions to bring dependent elderly individuals for dental care. Enhancing these factors may improve service utilization in this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Dental services, Caregiver, Accessibility, Thailand

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