This study investigated the awareness and purchase status of the private dental insurance. Self-reported survey was conducted with patients over the age of twenties who visited dental institutions located in Seoul Metropolitan City and Gyeonggi Province. The demographic and health related characteristics of respondents were analyzed, and logistic regression was conducted to examine factors affecting the awareness and purchase of private dental insurance. Because only four years had been passed since the introduction of private dental insurance, the awareness and purchase rate was found to be low. However, the number of people considering subscription due to the economic burden of dental care service was relatively high. Factors affecting awareness were satisfaction of the national health insurance, purchase of private health insurance and private dental insurance, self-perceived dental health status, and smoking. The variables affecting purchase of dental insurance were age, awareness, purchase of private health insurance, smoking, number of visits to dental institution. Because qualitative and quantitative change would be made in the dental care utilization due to the rapidly growing dental insurance subscribers, further studies regarding the trend of purchase rate of private dental insurance and the effect of dental insurance on use of dental institution are needed.