Adult attitudes to sustainable dentistry in Trinidad and Tobago and their willingness to accept alternatives.

Abstract

Attitudes towards and willingness to accept alternatives for sustainable dentistry in Trinidad and Tobago have never been assessed. Market research aids in the understanding of the behaviours of people. Since change can be enacted by public pressure, it is worth engaging the public through research to understand their attitudes and which changes they are willing to accept. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to private and public dental clinics. The questionnaire assessed attitude towards and willingness to accept alternatives which decrease the effect of dental treatment on the environment. The study consisted of 1267 participants. Participants were mostly female, older, employed and mainly of African descent. Participants reported a very positive attitude towards sustainable dentistry (Mean = 3.89, SD = 0.8). and were moderately willing to accept alternatives such as a longer appointment time (Mean 3.47, SD = 0.73) and pay more for their dental treatments (Mean=3.00, SD = 0.87). There was a strong positive correlation with attitudes to sustainable dentistry and participants willingness to accept alternatives such as a longer appointment time (r = 0.658, p < 0.05). The adult population had an overall positive attitude towards sustainable dentistry and was willing to accept alternatives so that their dental treatment would have less impact on the environment.