The ECODENT Model for Enhancing Pro-environmental Behaviors in Dentists

Abstract

Climate change challenges people’s lives and sustainability. Environmental problems seem to derive from human behavior. Dentistry has a high ecological footprint that needs to be controlled worldwide. Thus, the behavior change of dentists is a necessary condition to improve the environmental situation. In this study, a system dynamics approach is used to analyze pro-environmental behavior in dentists. Systemic modelling and simulation allow researchers to predict how the population of non-eco-dentists will change if certain factors are affected and how much time will be needed by the system of a group of dental professionals to become eco-dentists. To this end, the ECODENT model is presented, which was developed using the Vensim software. It is based on the classic Word of Mouth (WOM) model, which simulates how the WOM influences the spread of information among colleagues and stakeholders (e.g., patients, auxiliary staff, and community). The model incorporates relevant factors such as dental income, state support, CaPex and OpEx, education hours, level of urbanization, and time to react. By changing each one of them, we can observe the changes in the groups of non-eco and eco dentists as well as the flow of the phenomenon/transition. The simulation of this model shows that by augmenting WOM parameters, state economic support, or education hours while diminishing CaPex and OpEx, changes in the pro-environmental behaviors of dentists will be reported in a shorter time. The ECODENT model can be used to further study pro-environmentalism in different dental groups and associations and design relevant eco-friendly educational programs.