What factors have an impact on the performance of dentists?

This summary is based on the report published by the National Clinical Assessment Service (UK): Factors influencing dental practitioner performance: a literature review (March 2011)

Read the Executive Summary (PDF) here

Context

There are an increasing number of factors that have the potential to influence the performance of a dental practitioner, including gender ratio, ethnicity and skill-mix of the dental workforce.

A practitioner’s performance or conduct is defined as any aspects of a practitioner’s performance or conduct which:

• Pose a threat or potential threat to patient safety
• Expose services to financial or other substantial risk
• Undermine the reputation or efficiency of services in some significant way
• Are outside acceptable practice guidelines and standards.

Purpose of the Review

• Create an evidence-based document of the factors that impact upon dentist performance
• Identify gaps in the literature and suggest areas for further research.

Findings

The review is fully reflective of both current and future trends and incorporates information from the UK as well as countries such as the United States of America (USA) and European Economic Area (EEA) member states. It brings together information from a wide range of sources and considers the findings from published primary studies, previous reviews, policy statements, grey literature and the opinions of a wide range of experts.

Where gaps existed in the literature for dentistry, the review examined relevant studies in medicine and sought to make appropriate cross references and applicable conclusions. Such evidence was considered a robust foundation for the current review, providing both useful insight in unexplored areas, whilst also highlighting areas for further research in dentistry.

• Gender disproportion
• Changing dentists’ ethnic composition
• Increasing numbers of foreign-trained dentists
• Back pain, neck, shoulder and hand/wrist complaints are reported to be a particular problem for dentists
• Infectious diseases are reported to be important health issues for dentists
• Working with amalgam
• Professional networks
• Team work
• High levels of workplace stress, burnout and other “work-related” mental illness
• Undergraduate education appears to have a fundamental role in the performance of future dental professionals
• In dentistry, the quality of clinical performance is strongly related to the ability to respond to change

Read the full report here