The dental plan: subscriber utilization and satisfaction at three post-secondary educational institutions

PLEASE NOTE: This work is protected by copyright. Downloading is restricted to the BU community: please click Download and log in with a valid BU account to access. If you are the author of this work and would like to make it publicly available, please contact open-help@bu.edu.Thesis (M.Sc.)--Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Graduate Dentistry, 1986 (Dental Public Health).Includes bibliographical references (leaf 164).Dental disease exists universally. Virtually everyone needs or will need some form of dental care. Published data indicate that young adults in America have the greatest need for dental care. This paper presents findings on an innovative approach to increasing access to dental care for individuals who are enrolled in three post-secondary educational institutions in Boston, Massachusetts. The approach is a voluntary prepaid dental plan covering preventive and basic restorative procedures. There is no deductible fee and no limit to the amount of restorative covered. A survey of 121 enrollees was conducted to determine demographics of the population and satisfaction with the program in its first year of implementation. Preliminary findings are reported and suggestions for further research are presented in this paper. The students were found to have a relatively high dental disease experience (DMFT=16.78), high treatment needs, and favorable attitudes toward The Dental Plan. The respondents were predominately in-state residents and enrolled in undergraduate study. The mean age of respondents was 27.46. Respondents' comments on the dental plan were analyzed andsuggestions for future program development were made. Findings and suggestions for further the research are presented in this paper