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International Dental Journal Jun 2024The European Economic Area (EEA) is composed of member states with a multitude of different regions. This study aimed to analyse the ratios of general dentists and...
BACKGROUND
The European Economic Area (EEA) is composed of member states with a multitude of different regions. This study aimed to analyse the ratios of general dentists and dental specialists to the total population and the proportion of dental specialists to general dentists in 24 European countries and to explore specific intranational differences within 2 countries: France and Germany.
METHODS
Available official documents and webpages from the United Kingdom and 23 of the 30 countries comprising the EEA were analysed. Data were expressed as absolute values, ratios of general dentists and dental specialists in the total of population, and percentages of dental specialists/dentists. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to clarify the main ratios that distinguish France from Germany, and cluster analysis was employed to determine similar areas.
RESULTS
Significant differences were found between countries, with Ireland and Austria having the lowest ratio of dentists and Romania and Greece having the highest. The Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France, and Denmark had the lowest ratios of dental specialists to the total population. Lithuania, Sweden, and Germany had the highest number of dental specialists. Orthodontists were the most numerous specialists (5.0% of dentists), followed by oral surgeons (2.7%). In France, differences between departments were pronounced and associated with the presence of dental schools and per capita income. In Germany, only the correlation between per capita income and the density of oral surgeons was significant.
CONCLUSIONS
Diverse ratios of general dentists and dental specialists to the total population and the proportion of dental specialists to general dentists were discovered within the examined countries, and their maximum values were 2.5, 5.7, and 4.1 times the minimum values, respectively. Differences were even found within the same country, as was the case in France and, to a lesser extent, in Germany.
Topics: Europe; Humans; Specialties, Dental; Dentists; General Practice, Dental; France; Germany
PubMed: 38228432
DOI: 10.1016/j.identj.2023.12.004 -
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer... Feb 2022Oral cancer awareness among newly graduated dentists could have a substantial impact in the prevention and early detection of oral cancer.
BACKGROUND
Oral cancer awareness among newly graduated dentists could have a substantial impact in the prevention and early detection of oral cancer.
OBJECTIVE
This survey was undertaken to assess the knowledge, opinion, attitudes, and practices on oral cancer among newly graduated dentists in Kuwait.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, self-reported questionnaire was distributed to the newly graduated dentists. Of the 310 dentists who participated, 171 (55.2%) were males and 139 (44.8%) were females. The questionnaire included 23- questions on oral cancer knowledge, opinion, attitudes, and practices.
RESULTS
The mean age of the dentists was 25.8 ± 2.4 years and their mean years of experience 1.5 ± 1.7 years. Overall, a great majority of dentists (95.8%) recognized tobacco use and alcohol consumption as very important risk factors for oral cancer occurrence. Almost all of participants were aware of the most common form of oral cancer (94.2%). Most of the dentists correctly identified the most common site of oral cancer (93.5%). Majority of the participants recognized the most commonly associated lesions with oral cancer (91.6%). While 37.4% of the dentists agreed that they were adequately trained in oral cancer screening, most (89.7%) believed that patients should have mandatory oral cancer screening at the clinics. Also, majority (95.8%) expressed their willingness to attend continuing education and training courses in cancer screening and prevention. Most of the dentists (81.9%) referred a patient with a suspicious lesion to a specialist.
CONCLUSIONS
Majority of the dentists were aware and knowledgeable about various aspects of oral cancer. There is a need to emphasize and reinforce the training programs in oral cancer education mainly in prevention and early detection. Continuing education programs and workshops are highly recommended to raise awareness of the dentists on risk factors and diagnosis of oral cancer.
Topics: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentists; Early Detection of Cancer; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Kuwait; Male; Mouth Neoplasms; Practice Patterns, Dentists'; Referral and Consultation; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35225457
DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2022.23.2.459 -
Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Feb 2023Procedural complications and workload have been reported as sources of stress in dentistry.
BACKGROUND
Procedural complications and workload have been reported as sources of stress in dentistry.
AIM
To investigate the impact of endodontic workload and allocated treatment time of dentists on perceived stress and frequency of complications.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The online survey included questions to evaluate the average number of root canal treatments per week, stress levels during root canal treatment, frequency of single-visit root canal treatments, time spent on single-visit treatments, frequency of endodontic complications per week, preference for management of complication, and proposed solutions.
RESULTS
A negative correlation was found between endodontic workload and perceived stress, which was statistically significant at slight and moderate stress levels (P < 0.05). Amongst the clinicians who feel "very stressful" during the treatment, the clinicians who allocate only 20 minutes or less per treatment had the highest frequency, and their numbers were significantly higher than clinicians who spent 20-40 minutes per treatment (P < 0.05). Amongst the clinicians who experience instrument separation 4-6 times/week, the number of clinicians who spent 40-60 minutes or more than 60 minutes per root canal treatment was significantly lower in comparison to the number of clinicians who spent 20-40 minutes (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Increasing the quality of dental equipment and reducing the time pressure on dentists might result in lesser stress levels of clinicians and fewer endodontic complications.
Topics: Humans; Workload; Emotions; Root Canal Therapy; Stress, Psychological; Dentists
PubMed: 36876605
DOI: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_186_22 -
BMC Oral Health May 2020The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide the tools for enabling fast and reliable real-time communications, as well as the transfer of...
BACKGROUND
The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide the tools for enabling fast and reliable real-time communications, as well as the transfer of information between dental professionals and their patients. However, little is known about the frequency and preference of ICTs among Latin-American dentists. Our study aims to fill this gap by assessing different aspects related to ICTs, mainly the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers among Ecuadorian dentists.
METHODS
An anonymous, cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among 342 Ecuadorian dentists. The final questionnaire included 13 items related to the frequency of use, perceptions, and barriers of ICTs. Bivariate analysis was performed by using chi-squared testing to explore the association between the independent variables and the intended use of ICTs, as well as to characterize the perceptions and barriers related to ICTs.
RESULTS
In general, most participants reported the use of ICTs to communicate with colleagues (99.7%), and patients (96.2%), while only 63.5% reported using ICTs to obtain academic information in their daily practice. WhatsApp was rated as the most used ICT for communicating with colleagues and patients. A majority of participants considered that ICTs can be useful for facilitating continuing dental education (92.1%), searching new work opportunities (91.5%), promoting health (90.1%), working with colleagues and other health professionals (91.2%), promoting their professional services (90.6%), and for resolving clinical cases (87.7%). On the subject of barriers, privacy and security concerns about personal and/or patient information was the biggest concern among dentists (65%), followed by lack of time to learn how to use and/or use ICTs (48%), lack of mobile internet access (28.1%), and lack of internet access at work (24.9%).
CONCLUSION
In our study, we found that Ecuadorian dentists had a high usage rate of ICTs, mainly for communicating with other colleagues and patients, while the academic use of technology remains a comparatively underused application. Most of the participants surveyed had a positive perception towards ICTs, while privacy and security concerns were identified as the main barrier. Older age was associated with a less favourable perception toward ICTs, as well as an increased likelihood of reporting barriers related to the use of technology.
Topics: Aged; Communication; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentists; Ecuador; Female; Humans; Information Technology; Latin America; Male; Medical Informatics; Social Media; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32429887
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-020-01137-z -
International Journal of Circumpolar... Dec 2018The eight Arctic States exhibit substantial health disparities between their remote northernmost regions and the rest of the country. This study reports on the trends... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
The eight Arctic States exhibit substantial health disparities between their remote northernmost regions and the rest of the country. This study reports on the trends and patterns in the supply and distribution of physicians, dentists and nurses in these 8 countries and 25 regions and addresses issues of comparability, data gaps and policy implications Methods: We accessed publicly available databases and performed three types of comparisons: (1) among the 8 Arctic States; (2) within each Arctic State, between the northern regions and the rest of the country; (3) among the 25 northern regions. The unit of comparison was density of health workers per 100,000 inhabitants, and the means of three 5-year periods from 2000 to 2014 were computed.
RESULTS
The Nordic countries consistently exceed North America in the density of all three categories of health professionals, whereas Russia reports the highest density of physicians but among the lowest in terms of dentists and nurses. The largest disparities between "north" and "south" are observed in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut of Canada for physicians, and in Greenland for all three categories. The disparity is much less pronounced in the northern regions of Nordic countries, while Arctic Russia tends to be oversupplied in all categories.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite efforts and standardisation of definitions by international organisations such as OECD, it is difficult to obtain an accurate and comparable estimate of the health workforce even in the basic categories of physicians, dentists and nurses . The use of head counts is particularly problematic in jurisdictions that rely on short-term visiting staff. Comparing statistics also needs to take into account the health care system, especially where primary health care is nurse-based. List of Abbreviations ADA: American Dental Association; AHRF: Area Health Resource File; AMA: American Medical Association; AO: Autonomous Okrug; AVI: Aluehallintovirasto; CHA: Community Health Aide; CHR: Community Health Representative; CHW: Community Health Worker; CIHI: Canadian Institute for Health Information; DO: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine; FTE: Full Time Equivalent; HPDB: Health Personnel Database; MD: Doctor of Medicine; NOMESCO: Nordic Medico-Statistical Committee; NOSOSCO: Nordic Social Statistical Committee; NOWBASE: Nordic Welfare Database; NWT: Northwest Territories; OECD: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; RN: Registered Nurse; SMDB: Scott's Medical Database; WHO: World Health Organization.
Topics: Arctic Regions; Dentists; Health Personnel; Healthcare Disparities; Humans; Physicians; Workforce
PubMed: 29968514
DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2018.1492825 -
Revista Medica de Chile Mar 2015The frequency and features of malpractice lawsuits against dentists in Chile are not well known.
BACKGROUND
The frequency and features of malpractice lawsuits against dentists in Chile are not well known.
AIM
To determine the magnitude and frequency of professional liability claims against dentists.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A retrospective analysis of the Medical Liability Unit of the Legal Medical Service of Chile database. This public organization deals with most professional liability claims in Chile.
RESULTS
Between 2007 and 2012, 3,990 expert opinions about liability of health care professionals were requested. Odontology was the fifth specialty most commonly sued and dentists, the second most frequently sued professionals. Sixty nine percent of cases originated in private clinics, which is coincident with a higher frequency of dentists working in private practice. Most petitioners were adult women and most claims originated from surgical interventions and infections. In 35% of claims against dentists, a violation of Lex Artis was confirmed, compared with 9% of all expert opinions that generated in the unit.
CONCLUSIONS
Claims against dentists are more common than previously thought and these professionals should adopt preventive measures to avoid them.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Chile; Databases, Factual; Dentistry, Operative; Dentists; Expert Testimony; Female; Humans; Liability, Legal; Male; Malpractice; Middle Aged; Private Practice; Retrospective Studies; Young Adult
PubMed: 26005821
DOI: 10.4067/S0034-98872015000300009 -
BMC Oral Health May 2018Currently, many risk assessment tools are available for clinicians to assess a patient's periodontal disease risk. Numerous studies demonstrate the potential of these...
BACKGROUND
Currently, many risk assessment tools are available for clinicians to assess a patient's periodontal disease risk. Numerous studies demonstrate the potential of these tools to promote preventive management and reduce morbidity due to periodontal disease. Despite these promising results, solo and small group dental practices, where most people receive care, have not adopted risk assessment tools widely, primarily due to lack of studies in these settings. The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of dental providers in these settings toward risk-based care through focus groups.
METHODS
We conducted six focus group sessions with 52 dentists and dental hygienists practicing in solo and small group practices in Pittsburgh, PA and New York City (NYC), NY. An experienced moderator and a note-taker conducted the six sessions, each including 8-10 participants and lasting approximately 90 min. All sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers coded the focus group transcripts. Using a thematic analysis approach, they reviewed the coding results to identify important themes and selected representative excerpts that best described each theme.
RESULTS
Providers strongly believed identifying risk factors could predict periodontal disease and use this information to change their patients' behavior. A successful risk assessment tool could assist them in educating and changing their patient's behaviors to adopt a healthy lifestyle, thus enabling them to play a major role in their patients' overall health. However, to achieve this goal, it is essential to educate all dental providers and not just dentists on performing risk assessment and translating the results into actionable recommendations for patients. According to study participants, the research community has focused more on translating research findings into a risk assessment tool, and less on how clinicians would use these tools during patient encounters and if it affects a patients' risk or outcome.
CONCLUSIONS
Dental practitioners were open to performing risk assessment as routine care and playing a bigger role in their patients' overall health. Recommendations to overcome major barriers included educating dental providers at all levels, conducting more research about their adoption and use in real-world settings and developing appropriate reimbursement models.
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Dental Hygienists; Dentists; Female; Focus Groups; Health Behavior; Humans; Male; Patient Education as Topic; Perception; Periodontal Diseases; Practice Patterns, Dentists'; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Stakeholder Participation; Students, Dental
PubMed: 29783966
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-018-0550-2 -
International Dental Journal Jun 2018Oral diseases affect most of the global population. The aim of this paper was to provide a contemporary analysis of 'human resources for oral health' (HROH) by examining...
BACKGROUND
Oral diseases affect most of the global population. The aim of this paper was to provide a contemporary analysis of 'human resources for oral health' (HROH) by examining the size and distribution of the dental workforce according to World Health Organization (WHO) region and in the most populous countries.
METHOD
Publically available data on HROH and population size were sourced from the WHO, Central Intelligence Agency, United Nations, World Bank and the UK registration body. Population-to-dentist and dental-workforce ratios were calculated according to WHO region and for the 25 most populous countries globally. Workforce trends over time were examined for one high-income country, the UK.
RESULTS
The majority of the world's 1.6 million dentists are based in Europe and the Americas, such that 69% of the world's dentists serve 27% of the global population. Africa has only 1% of the global workforce and thus there are marked inequalities in access to dental personnel, as demonstrated by population to dental-workforce ratios. Gaps exist in dental-workforce data, most notably relating to mid-level clinical providers, such as dental hygienists and therapists, and HROH data are not regularly updated. Workforce expansion and migration may result in rapid changes in dentist numbers.
CONCLUSION
Marked inequalities in the distribution of global HROH exist between regions and countries, with inequalities most apparent in areas of high population growth. Detailed contemporary data on all groups of HROH are required to inform global workforce reform in support of addressing population oral health needs.
Topics: Dental Staff; Dentists; Global Health; Health Workforce; Healthcare Disparities; Humans; Oral Health
PubMed: 29297930
DOI: 10.1111/idj.12349 -
BMC Health Services Research Jan 2022Nursing home residents have high medical care needs. Their medical care utilization is, however, lower compared to community-dwelling elderly and varies widely among...
BACKGROUND
Nursing home residents have high medical care needs. Their medical care utilization is, however, lower compared to community-dwelling elderly and varies widely among nursing homes. This study quantified the utilization of general practitioners (GPs), dentists, and medical specialists among nursing homes and residents, and investigated whether dentist utilization is associated with individual and nursing home characteristics.
METHODS
Forty-four nursing homes invited 2124 residents to participate in a cross-sectional study. For 10 medical specialties, data on contacts in nursing homes, practices, and by telephone in the last 12 months were assessed at individual and nursing home level. The proportion of nursing homes and residents with any form of contact, and the median number and interquartile range (IQR) of contacts among individuals with contact were determined. Using multilevel logistic regression, associations between the probability of individual dental care utilization and sex, age, LTC grade, years of residence, sponsorship, number of nursing home beds, and transport and medical escort services for consultations at a practice were investigated.
RESULTS
The proportion of nursing homes with any form of contact with physicians ranged from 100% for GPs, dentists, and urologists to 76.7% for gynecologists and orthopedists. Among the nursing homes, 442 residents participated (20.8% response). The proportion of residents with any contact varied from 97.8% for GPs, 38.5% for neurologists/psychiatrists, and 32.3% for dentists to 3.0% for gynecologists. Only for GPs, neurologists/psychiatrists, dentists, otorhinolaryngologists, urologists, and dermatologists, the proportion was higher for nursing home contacts than for practice and telephone contacts. Among residents with any contact, the median number of contacts was highest for GPs (11.0 [IQR 7.0-16.0]), urologists (4.0 [IQR 2.0-7.0]), and neurologists/psychiatrists (3.0 [IQR 2.0-5.0]). Dentist utilization varied widely among nursing homes (median odds ratio 2.5) and was associated with higher age.
CONCLUSIONS
Almost all residents had regular contact to GPs, but only one third had contact with dentists. Lower proportions with contact were found for medical specialists, except for neurologists/psychiatrists. Reasons for the large variations in dental care utilization among nursing homes should be identified.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
DRKS00012383 [2017/12/06].
Topics: Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentists; General Practitioners; Humans; Medicine; Nursing Homes
PubMed: 34991579
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-07429-6 -
Australian Dental Journal Dec 2018The management of medical emergencies is widely considered a requisite skill for all dentists. Timely intervention of an emergency can significantly alter the outcome... (Review)
Review
The management of medical emergencies is widely considered a requisite skill for all dentists. Timely intervention of an emergency can significantly alter the outcome for a patient's morbidity and possible mortality. This scoping review examines the prevalence of medical emergencies in dental practice, as well as dentists' attitude, confidence, and competence, of medical emergency management within a dental setting. Key findings include a lack of preparedness towards medical emergencies, despite a universal recognition of the importance and desire to improve key medical skills.
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Clinical Competence; Dentists; Emergencies; General Practice, Dental; Humans; Practice Management, Dental; Prevalence
PubMed: 30169909
DOI: 10.1111/adj.12649