Senior dentists' perceptions of dental therapists' roles and education needs in <scp>M</scp>alaysia

Nor, N A M; Murat, Norintan Ab; Yusof, Zamros Yuzadi Mohd; Gamboa, A

doi:10.1111/idh.12038

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The respondents in the present study were also not satisfied with their career opportunities. This echoed the findings of a previous local survey (19) and indicated the commitment of dental therapists to continuing education and personal development. In terms of career opportunities, Malaysian dental therapists have limited opportunities to attain higher academic qualifications up to degree level as compared to other countries.…”

Section: Roles Of Dental Therapistsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Part D consisted of 34 items on their current and future roles (divided into four categories namely their clinical skills, oral health promotion activities, administration work and the aspects of the dental team where they are located). Details of Part D of the questionnaire have been described elsewhere .…”

Section: Study Population and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Malaysian dental therapist career pathway divides dental therapists into two groups: clinical dental therapists (Grade U29) and administrative dental therapists (Grade U32 and above); however, both are only allowed to serve in the public health services. Administrative roles cover management of dental personnel and planning community oral health programmes, while clinical dental therapists perform routine clinical duties such as examination and diagnosis; fluoride therapy, fissure sealants and dietary counselling; non‐complex restoration of primary and permanent teeth, scaling and polishing; and extraction of primary teeth in children under 17 years of age . Thus, the proposed expansion of job scope is timely as the recent National Oral Health Survey of schoolchildren and adults has shown different trends .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Job satisfaction and perceived future roles of Malaysian dental therapists: findings from a national survey

Bakar

Nor

Ab‐Murat

et al. 2014

Int J Dental Hygiene

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Majority expressed high career satisfaction with most aspects of their employment but expressed low satisfaction in remuneration, lack of career advancement opportunities and administrative tasks. We conclude that most Malaysian dental therapists have positive perceptions of their current roles but do not favour wider expansion of their roles. These findings imply that there was a need to develop a more attractive career pathway for therapists to ensure sustainability of effective primary oral healthcare delivery system for Malaysia's children.

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Section: Roles Of Dental Therapistsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Study Population and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Job satisfaction and perceived future roles of Malaysian dental therapists: findings from a national survey

Bakar

Nor

Ab‐Murat

et al. 2014

Int J Dental Hygiene

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“…Equally, issues around UDAs and payment for DTs time were deciding factors. Internationally, attitudes towards the DTs’ role were noted to influence the amount and type of work referred to them in practice . USA‐based literature found that the more tasks delegated to DTs, the more patients were seen in practice, and there was higher productivity …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Internationally, attitudes towards the DTs' role were noted to influence the amount and type of work referred to them in practice. [69][70][71] USA-based literature found that the more tasks delegated to DTs, the more patients were seen in practice, 57 and there was higher productivity. 72 The literature and case studies that we have presented here both reported that carrying out a variety of tasks and feeling valued by the dentist lead to increased DT job satisfaction.…”

Section: Directmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental therapists in general dental practice. A literature review and case‐study analysis to determine what works, why, how and in what circumstances

Barnes

Bullock

Chestnutt

et al. 2019

Eur J Dental Education

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Introduction:In the United Kingdom, policy and guidance changes regarding the role of dental therapists (DTs) were implemented in recent years with a view to changing dental care to a more preventive-focussed, teamwork approach. However, success in the adoption of this model of working has been varied.Aims: Adopting a realist approach, our aim was, to examine the use of DTs in general dental practices in Wales, exploring what works, why, how and in what circumstances. Materials and Methods:The research comprised two stages. (a) A structured literature search, dual-coding papers for high-level factors describing the conditions or context(s) under which the mechanisms operated to produce outcomes. From this, we derived theories about how skill-mix operates in the general dental service. (b) Six case studies of general dental practices (three with a dental therapist/three without a dental therapist) employing a range of skill-mix models incorporating semi-structured interviews with all team members. We used the case studies/interviews to explore and refine the theories derived from the literature. Results:Eighty-four papers were coded. From this coding, we identified seven theories which reflected factors influencing general dental practices within three broad contexts: the dental practice as a business, as a healthcare provider and as a workplace. We tested these theories in interviews with 38 dental team members across the six care studies. As a result, we amended five of the theories. Conclusion:Our analysis provides theory about outcomes that DTs may facilitate and the mechanisms that may assist the work of DTs within different contexts of general dental practice. K E Y W O R D S dental therapists, development, general practice, qualitative, realist evaluation, skill-mix, team-work, workforce development How to cite this article: Barnes E, Bullock A, Chestnutt IG, Cowpe J, Moons K, Warren W. Dental therapists in general dental practice. A literature review and case-study analysis to determine what works, why, how and in what circumstances. Eur J Dent Educ. 2020;24:109-120. https ://doi.

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Dental therapists compared with general dental practitioners for undertaking check-ups in low-risk patients: pilot RCT with realist evaluation

Brocklehurst

Hoare

Woods

et al. 2021

Health Serv Deliv Res

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Background Many dental ‘check-ups’ in the NHS result in no further treatment. The patient is examined by a dentist and returned to the recall list for a further check-up, commonly in 6 or 12 months’ time. As the oral health of regular dental attenders continues to improve, it is likely that an increasing number of these patients will be low risk and will require only a simple check-up in the future, with no further treatment. This care could be delivered by dental therapists. In 2013, the body responsible for regulating the dental profession, the General Dental Council, ruled that dental therapists could see patients directly and undertake check-ups and routine dental treatments (e.g. fillings). Using dental therapists to undertake check-ups on low-risk patients could help free resources to meet the future challenges for NHS dentistry. Objectives The objectives were to determine the most appropriate design for a definitive study, the most appropriate primary outcome measure and recruitment and retention rates, and the non-inferiority margin. We also undertook a realist-informed process evaluation and rehearsed the health economic data collection tool and analysis. Design A pilot randomised controlled trial over a 15-month period, with a realist-informed process evaluation. In parallel, we rehearsed the health economic evaluation and explored patients’ preferences to inform a preference elicitation exercise for a definitive study. Setting The setting was NHS dental practices in North West England. Participants A total of 217 low-risk patients in eight high-street dental practices participated. Interventions The current practice of using dentists to provide NHS dental check-ups (treatment as usual; the control arm) was compared with using dental therapists to provide NHS dental check-ups (the intervention arm). Main outcome measure The main outcome measure was difference in the proportion of sites with bleeding on probing among low-risk patients. We also recorded the number of ‘cross-over’ referrals between dentists and dental therapists. Results No differences were found in the health status of patients over the 15 months of the pilot trial, suggesting that non-inferiority is the most appropriate design. However, bleeding on probing suffered from ‘floor effects’ among low-risk patients, and recruitment rates were moderately low (39.7%), which suggests that an experimental design might not be the most appropriate. The theory areas that emerged from the realist-informed process evaluation were contractual, regulatory, institutional logistics, patients’ experience and logistics. The economic evaluation was rehearsed and estimates of cost-effectiveness made; potential attributes and levels that can form the basis of preference elicitation work in a definitive study were determined. Limitations The pilot was conducted over a 15-month period only, and bleeding on probing appeared to have floor effects. The number of participating dental practices was a limitation and the recruitment rate was moderate. Conclusions Non-inferiority, floor effects and moderate recruitment rates suggest that a randomised controlled trial might not be the best evaluative design for a definitive study in this population. The process evaluation identified multiple barriers to the use of dental therapists in ‘high-street’ practices and added real value. Future work Quasi-experimental designs may offer more promise for a definitive study alongside further realist evaluation. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN70032696. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 9, No. 3. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

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Senior dentists' perceptions of dental therapists' roles and education needs in Malaysia

Cited by 3 publications

References 15 publications

Job satisfaction and perceived future roles of Malaysian dental therapists: findings from a national survey

Job satisfaction and perceived future roles of Malaysian dental therapists: findings from a national survey

Dental therapists in general dental practice. A literature review and case‐study analysis to determine what works, why, how and in what circumstances

Dental therapists compared with general dental practitioners for undertaking check-ups in low-risk patients: pilot RCT with realist evaluation

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