Assessment of dentists' attitudes and practices to provide services in long-term care facilities
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Date
2016
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
The primary objective of this research was to assess various factors that influence dentists’ attitudes and practices to provide services in long-term care facilities of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.
A survey was sent to all registered dentists in NB and SK through an e-mail that had a web link to access the surveys. The survey questionnaire used for this study was previously validated and used by researchers in two similar studies done in British Columbia. The survey comprised of three parts, first was for the dentists who were currently treating, second part was for those who never treated and third part for those who stopped treating patients in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Two reminders were sent to dentists after the initial survey to increase the response rate. Data analysis was done using Microsoft Excel.
The questionnaire was sent to 291 dentists in New Brunswick and 535 dentists in Saskatchewan. A response rate of 15% was achieved as 113 dentists completed the survey. The loss of private practice time and lack of dental equipment and space were the main concerns for all the dentists. The dentists who were currently providing services in LTC facilities did so out of their professional responsibility. The majority of dentists who never treated patients in LTC facilities were not asked for such services and thought that financial incentives were inadequate. The dentists who stopped treating patients in LTC facilities reported administrative difficulties and uncomfortable work environment as the primary reason for not providing services.