Boomers and Seniors Looking for
Preventive Dental Care
Toronto, ON - According to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CHX Technologies, boomers and seniors alike are looking for more preventive dental care. With four in ten (41%) Canadians over the age of 40 indicating that they have had at least one new cavity, crown or replacement filling in the past two years, many appear to be looking for alternate means to prevent these types of procedures.
In fact, if their dentist or hygienist indicated that they had tooth decay or were at risk of this problem, and subsequently recommended a new preventive coating that would reduce their chances of further decay, three in ten (29%) say they'd follow their dentists recommendations, so long as at least half were paid for by their dental plan. Another 21% say they'd follow the recommendation regardless of how much of it were covered by insurance. One in ten (14%) say they'd follow the recommendation even if they didn't have a dental plan if the procedures was less than $500, while just 25% say they wouldn't proceed with the treatment.
Focusing on the issue of paying for their dental services, the most common method of payment is simply paying out of pocket (36%), but the proportion of Canadians who do this increases significantly with age. In fact, one quarter of those aged 40+ have paid over $400 out of their own pocket in the last year for dental services, rising to 30% among those aged 60-69. Other common methods of paying for dental services include their employer paying for most of the bill (28%), some of the bill (11%), or even the entire bill (11%). Some even purchase their own dental insurance (13%).
If these Canadians were able to choose what types of services were offered in a dental plan that they were going to purchase for their family, here are the items in order that Canadians aged 40+ deem important (1, 2 or 3 on a scale of 1 to 10: filings for cavities (75%), prevention of gum disease, including scaling (74%), oral cancer diagnosis (66%), a preventive program for tooth decay (63%), crowns (53%), dental implants (40%) and cosmetic services such as whitening and veneers (25%).
In Canada, there is a growing network of Canadian dental offices called Partners in Prevention, who are specially trained and educated to provide more preventive care to people aged 40 and over. Thinking about what interest Canadians might have in this network of offices, 6% say that a Partner in Prevention member would be their new dentist. One in ten (12%) say they would visit one of these offices if their dentist didn't provide them, and another 22% would ask their dentist if they are going to join the network. Two in ten (19%) say they'd want their dentist to join the network, while 41% say they wouldn't be interested in the dental offices as they're satisfied with their current dentist.
These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid Home Renovation poll conducted on behalf of CHX Technologies from July 11 to July 18, 2008. This online survey of 1048 adults aged 40 and older was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results of this poll is based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls because they are based on samples drawn from opt-in online panels, not on random samples that mirror the population within a statistical probability ratio. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. However, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points , 19 times out of 20 had the entire adult population aged 40 or older in Canada been polled.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Research Manager
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]
About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.
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