Factors affecting use of word‐of‐mouth by dental patients

Objectives Word‐of‐mouth (WOM) refers to communication among consumers, which greatly influences the marketing strategies of dental clinics. This study aimed to explore factors that affect use of WOM by dental patients and to analyse their pathways. Methods The participants were 520 outpatients from four private dental clinics. Data were obtained from a survey using self‐reported questionnaires, which included questions regarding seven latent variables: five exogenous variables, including medical service quality (physical environment, customer service, patient relationship quality) and individual characteristic variables (opinion leader tendency, social hub tendency); and two endogenous variables (intention to recommend, WOM experience). Statistical analysis was performed using structural equation modelling. Results Significant associations were found in the pathways between relationship quality and intention to recommend, intention to recommend and WOM, and opinion leader tendency and WOM (P