Professionalization and Professionalism: the Case of Italian Dentistry

Abstract

Abstract:The aim of this article is to reconstruct the process of professionalization of Italian dentists and the profession's current configuration. It is based on three lines of inquiry. The first line adopts a historical perspective through the analysis of legislation that has regulated the dental sector over time. The second line depicts the current configuration of the profession through institutional and sectoral statistics. The third line focuses on the impact of the 2008 economic crisis, using the main findings of a survey conducted among the profession's representatives. The economic crisis has exacerbated the profession's structural weaknesses caused by the difficulties associated with self-regulation and by organizational-managerial inefficiency. Given this situation, one may inquire as to the actual professional nature of dentistry in Italy: It is not pointless to ask whether-and, if so, what type of-professionalism exists in dentistry in Italy today.

The Italian Dental Sector in a Period of Economic Crisis

“…This confirms the prevalence 577 of the "solo practice" model throughout the country [19]. According to the ANDI [13], innovation processes, whereby dentists group together to create larger practices, do exist; however, this phenomenon has nothing to do with joint stock companies, which are a minority (2.5%).…”

“…In terms of public regulation, what should be noted is that deficient and ambiguous public attempts to regulate the sector represent an element of continuity in the history of Italian dentistry [19]. The incomplete nature of public regulation granted the profession wide margins of freedom and autonomy, which also favoured the implementation of opportunistic behaviour and, ultimately, the development of an illicit market.…”

“…According to this source, 3,457 dentists work in the public sector (6.5% of the total); 1,094 dentists are INHS employees, 249 dentists have fixed-term contracts, and 2,114 dentists have INHS contracts [18]. Recent estimates [13] show that the number of dentists working in the public sector has risen to approximately 4,000, representing 8% of all enrolled professionals who, however, meet less than 10% of the demand [19].…”

Molto tardi ma troppo presto… il prof. Angelo Chiavaro e la laurea in odontoiatria italiana

“…La prima specializzazione in Odontoiatria fu istituita a Bologna, ad opera del prof. Arturo Beretta (17). Chiavaro, che aveva continuato a battersi strenuamente sulla stampa specializzata e non per mantenere i decreti o almeno attuarli in via sperimentale, evidentemente "irritò" le gerarchie fasciste e nel 1928, senza preavviso alcuno, venne trasferito d'ufficio all'Università di Genova e sostituito alla cattedra romana dal prof. Amedeo Perna, prima Deputato e poi Senatore con "importanti agganci nel Partito Nazionale Fascista" (18).…”

Effects of a Customized Professionalism Educational Intervention on Physical Therapists’ Knowledge and Attributes of Professionalism

“…Professionalism has been a core subject in medicine and allied health professions for many years. [1][2][3][4][5] In physical therapy, professionalism continues to be a relevant issue as the knowledge base of the profession is still controvertible, and in many countries around the world, direct access and autonomous practice are still evolving. 6 Over the years, medical and allied health professions have been skeptical in using attributes of professionalism for admission purpose, tracking professional student development, or for judging work performance of practitioners.…”