Patients increasingly act as informed consumers when selecting dental providers, yet the mechanisms shaping their choice remain underexplored in emerging markets. This study examines how clinic reputation, price perception, and perceived risk influence patients' choice intention, with patient trust as a mediating mechanism. Drawing on trust theory and perceived-risk theory, the model treats clinic reputation, price perception, and perceived risk (pain, cost, and safety concerns) as antecedents of patient trust, which in turn drives choice intention. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data modelled on the Vietnamese private-dental context were analysed for a sample of 340 patients by partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). In this study, clinic reputation (β = 0.41) and price perception (β = 0.24) positively affected patient trust, perceived risk negatively affected trust (β = −0.29), and patient trust positively affected choice intention (β = 0.58); trust mediated the antecedent–choice relationships. The model accounted for an estimated 47% of the variance in choice intention. All numerical values are simulated for demonstration and must not be interpreted as empirical findings. The study extends trust- and risk-based models to dental-service choice and offers managerial implications for patient-centered clinic strategy.
