Opinions of different subgroups of dentists and patients about the ideal dentist and the ideal patient

Abstract

The aim was to study whether subgroups of lay people and dentists differ in their opinions about the ideal dentist and the ideal patient. This was done by analyzing further a data set containing responses on single statements regarding different aspects of dentist-patient relationship that have been reported previously. A questionnaire containing 124 five-class Likert scale statements and questions about the background of the respondents was sent in November 1988 to a representative sample of lay people and to all dentists in Kuopio and North Karelia Provinces in Finland. To extract areas of interdependence for both dentists and patients, factor analyses were applied to the data and factor scores were calculated for further analyses. Differences in the opinions were studied between dentists and patients as well as among subgroups of patients and dentists. The power of the selected factors in discriminating between dentists and patients, and different subgroups of dentists and patients was evaluated by means of logistic regression analyses. The expectations of dentists and patients were similar about the ideal patient. About the ideal dentist, dentists and patients agreed only on one of the five factors, i.e. communicativeness and informativeness. Differences, especially in the opinions about the ideal patient, were found between following subgroups of patients: non-regular and regular attenders, males and females, old and young, patients with low and high education and different occupational status; and between private practitioners and community dentists.

Dentist-patient communication as perceived by patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…Most of the previous studies indicated that communication was one of the crucial traits in the ideal dentist from patients' point of view [5,18]. This research indicated that Saudi dentists practiced significantly most of the behaviours that is essential in the interaction with patients as an ideal dentist [5,17].…”

“…In the literature, that behavioural aspect was rated as one of the first five traits in the ideal dentist [5,17]. Similar to others, informativeness was one of the essential issues in both communication and satisfaction [5,18,19]. Information through Direct-to-Consumer Advertising can have good effects on the doctor-patient relationship when the accuracy and relevance is increased [20].…”

Empathy and avoidance in treating patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) among service providers in China

“…Providers who develop an empathetic understanding may see patients as more palpable and therefore perceive their needs and demands as more reasonable. Empathy fosters effective communication and a sense that the patient is understood and accepted (Birhanu, Assefa, Woldie, & Morankar, 2010; Brown & Bennett, 2010; Lahti, Tuutti, Hausen, & Kaariainen, 1995). Language and non-verbal cues such as smiles, full attention, and sitting on the same level all convey an important message of caring and empathy (Birhanu et al, 2010).…”

Knowledge and Attitude toward Orthodontic Treatment among treated Subjects compared with Untreated Subjects and Correlation with Patient—Orthodontist Communication

“…Our study finding of equality of males and females in attitude toward the orthodontic experience is not, however, consistent with previous studies that demonstrated gender differences in awareness and the knowledge of the orthodontic treatment of treated and untreated subjects. 14,15 Our finding can be explained by the differences in traditions and social customs of the study subjects. Moreover, our obser- vation may indicate that when both sexes are at identical educational levels, they are equally knowledgeable with respect to oral health issues.…”