[Knowledge and attitude of a group of dentists towards the topics of a course on principles of successful dental practice management]

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study was to investigate self-perceived need to learn practice management and self reported knowledge in this regard among dentists. A group of five academic staff members of Community Oral Health Department [Tehran Dental School] and four dentists formed an expert panel to develop the content of the course. This group developed a list of topics related to principles of successful dental practice. To investigate the necessity of educating the topics and self-assessed knowledge of the topics, a questionnaire was designed and administered to 55 volunteer dentists. Forty six dentists completed the questionnaire. T-test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analyses. Totally more than two-third of the dentists believed that a huge need exists for education of all the topics The corresponded figure for such topics as ergonomics and medical emergencies was about 90%. About 80% of the dentists felt that they had a vast knowledge of safety and infection control. On the other hand, 54.3% of them reported weak knowledge regarding professional rules and regulations. Self-reported educational need and knowledge of the dentists did not show significant association with their age, gender, and work experience [P>0.05]. The dentists believed in the necessity of educating such topics and evaluated their knowledge as deficient in these areas. This shows the necessity of developing courses on these topics