Intrinsic motivation in dental care.

Abstract

The aim of this work was to develop a method based on the idea of intrinsic motivation for analyzing motivation problems in dental care. A questionnaire dealing with intrinsic motivation was filled in by 207 women and 183 men. Factor analysis of the scale revealed the following dimensions of internal-external motivation: independence, responsibility, vs. non-independence, interest in preserving one's own teeth as long as possible vs. preference for tooth extraction, satisfaction from brushing teeth vs. brushing for others' sake, and critical evaluation of diet vs. improper diet with carbohydrates. The reliability of the questionnaire was good (standardized item alpha .69). The individual's own sense of independence and responsibility and the idea of preserving one's own teeth for as long as possible were found to be more important for the women than for the men. A longer education was also found to be related to preserving one's own teeth as long as possible. The time of the last dental visit was positively related to independence, responsibility and the far-reaching idea of preserving one's own teeth. It can be concluded that aspects of intrinsic motivation can give additional information when trying to understand dental health behavior.