Abstract
BackgroundDentistry in Australia combines business and health care service, that is, the majority of patients pay money for tangible dental procedures such as fluoride applications, dental radiographs, dental fillings, crowns, and dentures among others. There is evidence that patients question dentists’ behaviours and attitudes during a dental visit when those highly technical procedures are performed. However, little is known about how patients’ experience dental care as a whole. This paper illustrates the findings from a qualitative study recently undertaken in general dental practice in Australia. It focuses on patients’ experiences of dental care, particularly on the relationship between patients and dentists during the provision of preventive care and advice in general dental practices.MethodsSeventeen patients were interviewed. Data analysis consisted of transcript coding, detailed memo writing, and data interpretation.ResultsPatients described their experiences when visiting dental practices with and without a structured preventive approach in place, together with the historical, biological, financial, psychosocial and habitual dimensions of their experience. Potential barriers that could hinder preventive activities as well as facilitators for prevention were also described. The offer of preventive dental care and advice was an amazing revelation for this group of patients as they realized that dentists could practice dentistry without having to “drill and fill” their teeth. All patients, regardless of the practice they came from or their level of clinical risk of developing dental caries, valued having a caring dentist who respected them and listened to their concerns without “blaming” them for their oral health status. These patients complied with and supported the preventive care options because they were being “treated as a person not as a patient” by their dentists. Patients valued dentists who made them aware of existing preventive options, educated them about how to maintain a healthy mouth and teeth, and supported and reassured them frequently during visits.ConclusionsPatients valued having a supportive and caring dentist and a dedicated dental team. The experience of having a dedicated, supportive and caring dentist helped patients to take control of their own oral health. These dentists and dental teams produced profound changes in not just the oral health care routines of patients, but in the way patients thought about their own oral health and the role of dental professionals.
Highlights
Dentistry in Australia combines business and health care service, that is, the majority of patients pay money for tangible dental procedures such as fluoride applications, dental radiographs, dental fillings, crowns, and dentures among others
This study focused on dentists and patients in private general dental practices – that is, on dentists and patients operating in a typical Australian clinical context
This paper reports on one aspect of the overall qualitative study: patients’ experiences of dental care, on the relationship between patients and general dental practitioners during the provision of preventive care and advice, and on what patients valued in dental care
Summary
Dentistry in Australia combines business and health care service, that is, the majority of patients pay money for tangible dental procedures such as fluoride applications, dental radiographs, dental fillings, crowns, and dentures among others. This paper illustrates the findings from a qualitative study recently undertaken in general dental practice in Australia. It focuses on patients’ experiences of dental care, on the relationship between patients and dentists during the provision of preventive care and advice in general dental practices. This study was built on a previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) undertaken in private general dental practices in New South Wales (NSW), Australia [1]. Intervention practices in the RCT were provided with evidence-based preventive protocols to offer a less invasive approach to the treatment of dental caries [2]. The protocols focused on primary prevention of new dental caries (via tooth brushing with high concentration fluoride toothpaste and dietary advice) and intensive secondary prevention through professional treatment to arrest dental caries progress (applying fluoride varnish and monitoring the success of tooth brushing by recording the levels of dental plaque on the teeth)[2]
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