General dental practitioners' knowledge of and attitudes towards the employment of dental therapists in general practice

OBJECTIVE: To investigate general dental practitioners' knowledge of and attitudes towards dental therapists, to ascertain the likelihood of their employment in general dental practice, what client groups they would be likely to treat, and to identify the main perceived barriers to their employment in general dental practice. METHOD: Postal questionnaire. SETTING: General dental practitioners in the county of West Sussex. SAMPLING: All dentists holding a contract to provide general dental services in West Sussex were contacted. Final sample size was 200. KEY FINDINGS: Thirty eight per cent of dentists said they would employ a therapist if legislation allowed. Main perceived barriers were cost, lack of knowledge and dentists' acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: In general dentists had a favourable attitude towards dental therapists, although there was a real lack of knowledge about their permitted duties. Most dentists felt therapists should treat children and people with special needs.