Dental check-ups in 31-year-olds in relation to optimism and life satisfaction.

To analyse the impact of optimism and life satisfaction on dental check-ups.A cross-sectional study.The data used in this study consists of a postal questionnaire sent to the members of the 1966 Birth Cohort in Northern Finland. The number of replies totalled 8,690, giving a response rate of 75.3%.The subjects were classified into two categories according to frequency of dental check-ups: those who went for check-ups at least once in two years and those who went more rarely. A Life Orientation Test was used to measure optimism. Life satisfaction was measured using a single question. The other explanatory variables were gender, marital status, education, incomes and employment status. Multivariate analyses were performed using log-binomial regression models.Independent of other factors, life satisfaction among women and optimism among men was associated with dental check-ups. Links between socioeconomic factors and dental check-ups were weaker than anticipated.The results suggest that not only socioeconomic factors but also psychosocial aspects need to be taken into account in planning successful dental health policy.