Incorporating the consumer perspective on access to oral health services is important in the design of public policy and programming to improve the oral health status of the population. The Oral Health Workforce Research Center (OHWRC) collaborated with the Workforce Studies team at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to conduct a survey of a representative sample of the US adult population in order to obtain information on factors contributing to oral health disparities and to describe barriers to utilization of services.

This report evaluates factors identified by consumers as impacting their access to oral health services and explores differences in utilization of oral health services by demographically distinct population groups.