Quality of written reports provided by consultants in restorative dentistry to referring general dental practitioners in the west midlands.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to assess the views of general dental practitioners (GDPs) on the content, style, and readability of written reports provided by restorative consultants at a dental hospital in response to referral letters from the GDPs. The secondary objective was to determine the style of the written consultant report preferred by GDPs. SETTING: Referral letters received and replied to by four consultants in the restorative department at Birmingham Dental Hospital. METHOD: The quality of written reports sent by the four consultants to 100 referring GDPs in the West Midlands area was evaluated using a postal questionnaire, which assessed 100 GDPs' satisfaction with the content, style, and readability of the reports. To assess which format they favoured a second questionnaire was subsequently sent to the same GDPs with three versions of the original report in: (a) a standard format, (b) a summary format, and (c) a bullet point format. RESULTS: The results of the initial questionnaire revealed that 79 (96%) of practitioners were satisfied with the existing style of the reports. Following a second questionnaire in which GDPs were asked to choose which format they preferred, 61 (81%) expressed a preference for a bullet point or summary style report. CONCLUSION: The GDPs who responded to the questionnaires felt that a bullet point format or summary style report from the consultants concerned would summarise cases more clearly and concisely than the conventional standard format letters which they had previously received. Opportunities may exist for improving the quality of consultant reply letters through the use of structured templates and/or a summary or bullet point format.     

Quality improvement of referrals to a department of restorative dentistry following the use of a referral proforma by referring dental practitioners

AIM: To assess the quality improvement of new patient referrals to a restorative department comparing a standard referral proforma and a normal referral letter. DESIGN: A prospective analysis of a consecutive sample of all referral letters and replied proforma until a total of 100 had been achieved. METHOD: The study covered the period from November 2000 to June 2001. Once the letters and corresponding proforma were matched, they were compared for data capture and hence quality. RESULTS: There was an increase in 29.3% of information provided. Specific categories of data showed high increases such as patient's telephone number, relevant medical history, treatment already given, recorded signs and symptoms, urgency of the referral and whether treatment or advice was requested. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the quality of restorative referral increased with the use of a referral proforma.     

A survey of consultants and specialists in restorative dentistry on their use of health-related quality of life questionnaires

A national survey of 178 consultants and specialists in restorative dentistry was undertaken to assess their use of health-related quality of life questionnaires in patients having oral rehabilitation following treatment for oral cancer. The response rate was 74% (132). 42% treated patients following oral cancer, 25% forming part of the head and neck multidisciplinary team. Only 19% had ever used questionnaires. Main barriers to their use were lack of experience with evaluation (27%), lack of staff to administer questionnaires (21%) and insufficient time (18%). Few clinicians thought that questionnaires were not clinically relevant or that no suitable instrument existed. In order to facilitate the use of an oral rehabilitation-specific questionnaire in clinical practice there needs to be greater awareness of the potential benefits, training in the process and the means of reducing the administrative burden.     

The quality of restorative dental care.

This study investigated the quality of restorative care in a group of health center employees. With limitations in sample size, representativeness of the sample, and methods of measuring quality clearly recognized, the results of the study suggest that significant improvements in the quality of amalgams, synthetic restorations, crowns, fixed partial denture abutments, and pontics will probably require advances in the science and technology of dentistry and modifications in the present system for delivering dental care. The impact of a quality review system is unlikely to affect the care provided by the majority of dentists. Quality review should play a role in monitoring the services fo the small percentage of dentists whose care is very inadequate. Admittedly, these conclusions are speculative and are not based on a large body of experimental information. Nevertheless, the evidence that is available is suggestive, and the development of a national policy to monitor the quality of dental care must consider what can be reasonably achieved with a quality assurance system.     

The adoption of new endodontic technology amongst Danish general dental practitioners

AIM: To assess the adoption of new endodontic technology in a population of Danish practitioners. METHODOLOGY: Members of the Copenhagen Dental Association (n = 1156) were approached with a questionnaire concerning the frequency of various endodontic procedures. Three options were available: often, occasionally and never. Responses were anonymous. The statistical analyses were performed as studies of association in two- or three-way contingency tables, and with Goodman-Kruskal's gamma-coefficient as the basic tool chosen. RESULTS: Only data from general practitioners (GPs) in private practice were analysed (n = 956). The response rate was 72%. NiTi hand instruments were often used to negotiate canals by 18%, whilst 10% often used NiTi rotary systems. Electronic apex locators were often employed by 15%. Nineteen per cent reported that warm gutta-percha was often used. A majority (53%) often spend two sessions to instrument a molar, and 20% often needed three or more sessions to finish the shaping phase. To complete a treatment of a nonvital case most practitioners reported to use at least three appointments. Only 4% frequently applied rubber dam. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption of new endodontic technology is at an early stage amongst Danish GPs. A new revised remuneration system might influence the rate of adoption, allowing the practitioners to act more rationally and produce a higher frequency of good-quality root fillings. Progress towards high quality endodontics might be hindered by the nonuse of rubber dam.     

The use of removable partial dentures amongst private dental practitioners in Singapore

A questionnaire survey was carried out in 1995 amongst university trained general dental practitioners in the city state of Singapore to assess the use of removable partial dentures (RPD). 37% of the original sample of 469 completed and returned the questionnaire. The results of this survey indicate that RPDs are a common treatment modality in Singapore. Acrylic partial dentures appear to be the preferred choice for RPD treatment. The work profile of those who had a postgraduate qualification in removable prosthodontics did not differ from that of the general dental practitioner.     

Ten-year follow-up on adoption of endodontic technology and clinical guidelines amongst Danish general dental practitioners

Objective: The aim of this study was to re-assess the adoption of certain endodontic technology and central treatment principles of root canal treatments as advocated by guidelines presented by the European Society of Endodontology.

Material and methods: The questionnaire included the same questions in 2003 and 2013. The general dental practitioners (GDPs) anonymously reported how frequent (‘often’, ‘occasionally’, and ‘never’) they used certain endodontic technology and adhered to central treatment principles. The statistical analyses were performed using Chi-squared test and Goodman–Kruskal’s γ-coefficient as an association measure.

Results: The overall response rate of the 2013 group was 46.5% (n?=?531). The frequencies of GDPs reporting often use of rubber dam, apex locator and rotary NiTi instruments were significantly higher (p?p?p?=?.601) and time since graduation (p?=?.361), and the cluster analyses revealed the neglected use of rubber dam to be associated with no established postoperative recall system.

Conclusions: After 10 years, there was a higher frequency of GDPs who had adopted certain endodontic technologies. However, progress towards high-quality root canal treatment might be obstructed as the majority of GDPs avoids consistent use of rubber dam, and routinely neglects recalls for postoperative controls of their endodontic treatments.     

Use of information and communication technology amongst New Zealand dental students

Although international studies have shown an increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) amongst dental students, there are no published studies specific to New Zealand (NZ). The aim of this research was to identify device ownership and academic utilisation patterns amongst New Zealand dental students, including preferences and perceptions, and barriers to use. All currently enrolled dental students (322) were invited to complete a 15‐item questionnaire. Data were statistically analysed in SPSS version 20.0. Qualitative data were analysed using a general inductive technique. The participation rate was 78.6% (N = 253 of 322). The majority of respondents personally owned laptop computers (98%) and smartphones (80.2%). A total of 10.8% of participants used a desktop computer everyday for academic purposes, whilst 78.7% used a laptop computer daily, and 54.7% a smartphone. New Zealand dental students demonstrated a high usage of ICT for their coursework with varied use of different online resources. The most frequently used online resources were search engines, social networking sites and lecture slides provided on Blackboard ^® . A high perceived value was placed on both audio podcasts and video podcasts despite the high value also placed on the traditional lectures. Although most participants (84.5%) felt that their ICT knowledge was adequate to meet academic requirements, a small number (1.6%) did not agree.     

A survey of dental practitioners on their use of electronic mail

OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility of using electronic-mail as a tool for surveying dental practitioners; to determine both response rates and response times for this method; and provide baseline information on e-mail usage. METHOD: Self-administered questionnaire distributed by e-mail to 309 practitioners on Monday morning, 1 June 1998. RESULTS: 53.4% response rate within 1 month; 10.2% of replies were sent within 2 hours; and nearly half the replies were sent within 48 hours. Qualified dentists were more likely to respond early than undergraduates. The most popular point of access for e-mail was home (69.1%). The majority of responders (56.8%) use e-mail every day with 1 in 7 (14.2%) using it at least four times a day. 72.4% stated that they found e-mail useful for communicating with professional bodies, while 41.3% used it to communicate with colleagues about patients and patient referrals. 34.0% found e-mail useful for ordering goods, and supplies and 14.6% were using electronic mail to make patient appointments at least some of the time. CONCLUSIONS: Responses can be obtained at much greater speed than conventional postal techniques will allow, but response rates were only 53.4%. E-mail is predominately used at home and for inter-professional communications, only a small proportion of responders use it for direct communication with patients.     

Perception of dental fluorosis amongst Ethiopian children and their mothers

This study was conducted in three Ethiopian Rift Valley villages known for endemic fluorosis. Three-hundred-and-six adolescents (12-15 years) and 233 mothers participated. The aim was to study dental fluorosis in the youngsters and to assess the extent of agreement between clinical and self-rated discoloration and pitting of teeth, and also the level at which dental fluorosis is perceived as a problem both by children and their mothers. The children (154 M and 152 F) gave a simple self-assessment of tooth-color and quality of their teeth, and were subsequently examined for dental fluorosis. Finally, four color photographs of teeth with dental fluorosis (TF-scores 2, 3, 5, and 7) were used as references during a structured oral interview of the children, as well as their mothers. At TF score &#83 2, the prevalence of dental fluorosis on maxillary central incisors was 72% and 37% at TF score &#83 4. The mean TF score was significantly higher among boys than among girls of unemployed fathers compared to children of employed fathers. The likelihood of reporting problems with dental appearance increased with increasing individual TF scores. The child/mother pairs found teeth with TF scores 2 and 3 esthetically acceptable, while teeth with TF scores 5 and 7 were considered unacceptable. Mothers were more critical of severe fluorosis than were their children.     

Perception of dental fluorosis amongst Ethiopian children and their mothers

This study was conducted in three Ethiopian Rift Valley villages known for endemic fluorosis. Three-hundred-and-six adolescents (12-15 years) and 233 mothers participated. The aim was to study dental fluorosis in the youngsters and to assess the extent of agreement between clinical and self-rated discoloration and pitting of teeth, and also the level at which dental fluorosis is perceived as a problem both by children and their mothers. The children (154 M and 152 F) gave a simple self-assessment of tooth-color and quality of their teeth, and were subsequently examined for dental fluorosis. Finally, four color photographs of teeth with dental fluorosis (TF-scores 2, 3, 5, and 7) were used as references during a structured oral interview of the children, as well as their mothers. At TF score > or = 2, the prevalence of dental fluorosis on maxillary central incisors was 72% and 37% at TF score > or = 4. The mean TF score was significantly higher among boys than among girls of unemployed fathers compared to children of employed fathers. The likelihood of reporting problems with dental appearance increased with increasing individual TF scores. The child/mother pairs found teeth with TF scores 2 and 3 esthetically acceptable, while teeth with TF scores 5 and 7 were considered unacceptable. Mothers were more critical of severe fluorosis than were their children.