To Extract or to Restore the Tooth? Color/Race and Clinical Decision Making among Undergraduate Dental Students from Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate whether the color/race of a hypothetical patient is associated with the clinical decision to extract or restore a specific tooth, as well as with the recommendation for additional procedures for its adequate treatment. Material and Methods: Respondents assessed an anterior tooth with an extensive carious lesion and were asked whether it should be extracted or restored; how much time should be spent in the first consultation; whether or not root canal retreatment was necessary; and whether complementary exams should be requested. While a Black hypothetical patient was assessed in the first stage of data collection, a White individual was subsequently shown to the study respondents. Results: The clinical decision on whether to extract or restore the decayed tooth was not associated with the patient's color/race (p=0.64). The mean time estimated for the first clinical consultation (p=0.28), the need for root canal retreatment (p=0.56), as well as the request for complementary exams were not associated with the patient's color/race (p=0.82). Analyses stratified by the participants' characteristics confirmed the lack of such an association. Conclusion: As opposed to previously published findings in Brazil, the patient's color/race was not associated with clinical decision making among undergraduate dental students.