Preventive activity of dentists and its associations with dentist and dental practice characteristics in northern Germany

摘要

Aim: This study aimed to characterize preventive activity (PrA) of German dentists by determining the rates of preventive service delivery in dental practices and exploring associations between PrA and dentist and dental practice characteristics. Subjects and methods: A postal survey was sent to 2,075 dentists practicing in the States of Bremen and Lower Saxony. A PrA index was constructed, covering information on addressing prophylaxis to patients, providing anti-smoking interventions and advice on proper oral hygiene techniques. Results: Of the 685 questionnaires returned (response rate: 33 %), 640 were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. Approximately 10 % of responding dentists had low PrA, two-thirds moderate PrA, and 22 % high PrA. Dentists, especially those in the high and low PrA groups, differed slightly regarding topical fluoride application (99 % vs. 85 %), but considerably in providing behavioural counselling, e.g. anti-smoking (17 % vs. 0 %) and dietary interventions (88 % vs. 35 %). There were statistically significant associations between PrA and gender (p =.017), participation in continuing education and training (CET) (p <.001), employment of qualified prophylaxis personnel (p <.001), presence of a prophylaxis unit (p <.001), and percentage of private patients (p =.001). Conclusion: Dentists in the current study are actively providing preventive care. Deficiencies were found in assessing dental risks and providing behavioural counselling. Reasons for this suboptimal care should be explored in future studies. Apparently, the allocation of resources for prevention (e.g. employment of qualified prophylaxis personnel and participation in prevention-oriented CET programmes) is an important factor for the preventive orientation of dental practices.