Abstract Background On-site oral health surveys conducted to epidemiologically assess dental diseases require strategies to prevent a decline in the number of participants and maintain data quality; however, few studies have examined measures to address this issue. This study aimed to identify the preferred conditions for promoting participation in on-site oral health surveys using conjoint analysis. Methods A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in Japan in January 2024. From a panel of an online research company, 1,260 individuals (420 residents of urban, intermediate, and rural areas) were randomly sampled. The participants were evaluated under 16 hypothetical scenarios for oral health surveys, each consisting of seven attributes and their respective levels. Monetary incentives were excluded as attributes, because such measures are typically not applicable to government-administered surveys. Results In total, 955 individuals were analysed (324 in urban areas; 333 in intermediate areas; and 298 in rural areas). Our conjoint analysis showed that in all three areas, the preferred conditions to promote participation in oral health surveys were nearby dental clinics, conducting the survey on a Saturday or Sunday, providing an explanation of oral health status by a dentist after the survey, and provision of small gifts such as toothbrushes. Conversely, the following conditions were rated unfavourably: location–home visits by investigators, and day of the week–weekdays. The modified Poisson regression analysis revealed that those who did not intend to participate in all 16 hypothetical scenarios were statistically significantly more likely to be older in urban and intermediate areas (prevalence ratio, urban, 60–69 years: 2.52; intermediate, 60–69 years: 2.19). Conclusions Our findings suggest that an effective strategy to promote participation in on-site oral health surveys includes conducting a survey at nearby dental clinics on holidays, providing participants with an explanation of their oral health status by a dentist, and distributing small gifts such as toothbrushes after the survey. In addition, targeted approaches may be required to encourage participation among older adults, particularly in urban and intermediate areas.
Oshima et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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