Dentist-patient relationship and quality care 3. Communication

Besides technical expertise, the success of dental care depends on the behavioural patterns of the dentist and the patient and the way they interact with each other. Since communication is involved in the process of care, in many ways it is a 'key' concept of this interaction. As patient satisfaction and quality care are closely related with the dentist's positive attitudes and communicative skills, dentists need to focus on patients as 'individuals' and have 'real'communication with them.     

Dentist-patient relationship and quality care 2. Trust

The public in general and individual patients in particular have a high level of trust in the dental profession. As trust is an important moral value and a demand in health care, a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of trust and its impact on the efficiency and quality of care is of utmost importance. The core values and principles of dentistry serve to maintain the professional status and the associated trust in the profession and thus are of particular concern to the individual dentist and to organised dentistry.     

Observer performance in diagnosing osteoporosis by dental panoramic radiographs: results from the osteoporosis screening project in dentistry (OSPD)

Mandibular cortical erosion detected on dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs) may be useful for identifying women with osteoporosis, but little is known about the variation in diagnostic efficacy of observers worldwide. The purpose of this study was to measure the accuracy in identifying women at risk for osteoporosis in a worldwide group of observers using DPRs. We constructed a website that included background information about osteoporosis screening and instructions regarding the interpretation of mandibular cortical erosion. DPRs of 100 Japanese postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older who had completed skeletal bone mineral measurements by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry were digitized at 300 dpi. These were displayed on the website and used for the evaluation of diagnostic efficacy. Sixty observers aged 25 to 66 years recruited from 16 countries participated in this study. These observers classified cortical erosion into one of three groups (none, mild to moderate, and severe) on the website via the Internet, twice with an approximately 2-week interval. The diagnostic efficacy of the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST), a simple clinical decision rule based on age and weight, was also calculated and compared with that of cortical erosion. The overall mean sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the 60 observers in identifying women with osteoporosis by cortical erosion on DPRs were 82.5, 46.2, 46.7, and 84.0%, respectively. Those same values by the OST index were 82.9, 43.1, 43.9, and 82.4%, respectively. The intra-observer agreement in classifying cortical erosion on DPRs was sufficient (weighted kappa values>0.6) in 36 (60%) observers. This was significantly increased in observers who specialized in oral radiology (P<0.05). In the 36 observers with sufficient intra-observer agreement, the overall mean sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV in identifying women with osteoporosis by any cortical erosion were 83.5, 48.7, 48.3, and 85.7%, respectively. The mean PPV and NPV were significantly higher in the 36 observers with sufficient intra-observer agreement than in the 24 observers with insufficient intra-observer agreement. Our results reconfirm the efficacy of cortical erosion findings in identifying postmenopausal women at risk for osteoporosis, among observers with sufficient intra-observer agreement. Information gathered from radiographic examination is at least as useful as that gathered from the OST index.     

口腔医生对门诊突发医疗事件及处理认知水平的调查

目的了解北京地区口腔医生对门诊突发医疗事件及处理的认知水平,探讨提高口腔医生急救处理能力的方式。方法采用自行设计调查问卷,对北京696名口腔医生进行常见门诊突发医疗事件及紧急处理能力的调查,对数据进行描述和统计分析。结果口腔医生门诊常遇到的13项突发医疗事件中,晕厥、低血糖、轻度过敏反应、体位性低血压发生频率位居前4位,分别为65.92%、51.27%、34.53%、21.08%。不足30%的口腔医生充分了解基础生命支持-心肺复苏(BLS-CPR)的相关知识。非营利性、二或三级医疗机构的口腔医生急救能力高于在营利性、规模小的医疗机构的口腔医生。结论应提高口腔医生应对突发医疗事件的认识和预防意识,加强基本急救能力的培养,口腔医学院应开展急救实践操作训练以提高口腔医生综合执业能力。     

Gender differences in dentists' working practices and job satisfaction

OBJECTIVES: To describe the working practices and level of job satisfaction of male and female dentists. METHODS: A nationwide postal survey of all dentists holding an annual practising certificate in New Zealand (response rate 78.1%). RESULTS: The mean number of hours worked per week was 29.1 for female and 36.0 for male dentists. The main reason for part-time practice given by women was caring for children (cited by 67.2%) and for men was personal choice (cited by 63.6%). A greater proportion of females than males were employed on a salary or as an associate in practice rather than owning their own practice. Male dentists were more active in continuing education than females. The mean career satisfaction score for male respondents was 7.6 and for females 7.1 (P<0.001). Relatively more women than men had taken a career break, usually for child rearing. Two-thirds of women and one-third of men planned to retire from dentistry before 60 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Male and female dentists differ in their working patterns and career satisfaction. There is a need for ongoing monitoring of the workforce, particularly as the gender distribution (and societal trends and expectations) continues to change.     

北京地区口腔类别境外医师执业资格考试的分析与思考

目的 分析北京地区口腔类别境外医师执业资格考试情况,为进一步做好考试管理工作提供依据。方法收集2000—2013年参加北京地区口腔类别境外医师执业资格考试的考生资料,对考生以及考试通过情况进行回顾分析。结果142名考生来自全球21个国家以及中国香港和台湾地区,口腔全科考生3个专业通过率为48.2%,口腔专科考生通过率为66.7%;母语为汉语或英语的考生,考试通过率高于其他国家考生。结论参加北京地区口腔类别境外医师执业资格考试的医师,除自身知识和技能外,还应注重考前准备和提高汉语或英语语言能力。     

口腔医师人口密度和GDP的相关性研究

目的: 进行口腔医师人口密度和GDP的相关性分析比较.方法: 从国内外公开出版的期刊论文、WHO网站和图书资料获取和调查世界部分国家的人口数、GDP情况、口腔医师人数等从1996年到2000年的相关数据.结果: 口腔医师人口密度和GDP之间显正相关关系,R＝0.798(P＝0.000).结论: 口腔医师人口密度和其不同地区的经济水平密切相关.