Economic Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Practices in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

An observational cross-sectional survey was planned and carried out to evaluate the economic impact of the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic on dental practices in Germany. An online-questionnaire was developed and previously calibrated by a group consisting of experts from dentists, lawyers, and business economists (n = 21; Intra-Class-Coefficient > 0.8). It consisted of four main categories: vital statistics, professional activity and practice structure, economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and validation and contextualization to avoid automated filling in. The questionnaire was administered anonymously to 9732 dentists in Germany, 4434 of whom opened it and 1496 of whom fully completed it. These results were evaluated and summarized. Respondents were divided into seven German economic macro areas. Difference in proportion among questionnaire items was evaluated with χ2 test or Fisher exact test appropriately. Linear trend analysis was performed among German macro areas. Ordinal multinomial linear regression analysis was run to evaluate the association with questionnaire items with respect to a collapse and/or quarantine measures due to a positive test/infection/disease of dental personnel or an increase in average monthly costs due to the pandemic. One-third experienced a collapse or quarantine measures of the predominantly self-employed participating dentists (92%). Small practices were less affected than larger ones. Average monthly costs increased sharply in all practice structures. The findings shall help to better manage future pandemics and provide information to policy makers. As the pandemic situation is still ongoing, the medium- and long-term economic impact should be further evaluated.

Influence of Oral Health Care Systems on Future Career Environment of Dental Students in Europe.

Oral healthcare is organized subsidiarily and independently by nation states in Europe and also within the EU and consequently, major differences between the nation states and the various oral healthcare systems in Europe are present. The socialization in the respective catchment area can have an impact on the job choice and the perception of employment opportunities of different professional groups. Therefore, the purpose of this survey was to elucidate the influence of different oral healthcare systems on students living or studying in the respective catchment area. A questionnaire (in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish) with 18 different components was administered. Data on gender, age, country of origin, university, semester, nationality, expected time of graduation, and forecast for future professional practices were gathered. In addition, 3851 students participated (2863 f/988 m). The sample distribution was uneven with predominantly Bismarckian and Southern European System participants. The National oral health care system was statistically significantly linked (p < 0.01) to the ownership period of a dental practice. Students in Bismarckian and Nordic systems tended to find their own practice earlier than in the Beverdigian system or Southern European and Transitional-East European systems. An association between the oral health care system and vocational training was inhomogeneous, but also significantly different (p < 0.01). The majority (47.51%, n = 1555) would like to work in their own practice, 18.95% (n = 621) want to establish a practice with two or more owners. It was striking that no student would like to work in the investor practice/practice chain of both Nordic, Beveridgian and Transitional-East European countries systems (p < 0.01). The oral health care system in which a dental student grows up/resides/studies influences the career choice/perception of future professional practice.

Expectations Regarding Dental Practice: A Cross-Sectional Survey of European Dental Students.

Obtaining information on expectations among dental students regarding their career planning was the main purpose of this observational online survey. The questionnaire was designed with 18 items in five different languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Data were collected on nationality, age, sex, country of residence, university attended, semester, expected year of graduation and expectations about future career. More than 3000 participants (n = 3851, 2863 females 74.34% and 988 males 25.66% with a sex ratio of 0.35) participated in the survey. Almost one-third (31.29%) of the participants plan to start their own practice at least three years after vocational training, a quarter (25.76%) after three, and only 12.59% after one year. A positive influence of the family in the decision to start a practice was observed in 50.07% of the sample with a statistically significant difference regarding sex (p < 0.01). Almost one-third of the participants did not wish to work in an institution run by private equity or insurance companies, while 21.79% would work in that environment (p < 0.01). European dental students desire mainly to become self-employed and start their own practice. New professional practices also offer them options for their future career that they have not yet decided on or thought about.

Is liberal independent dental practice in danger? Assessing forms of dental practice in the European Regional Organization (ERO) zone of the FDI World Dental Federation.

OBJECTIVE: A trend towards increasingly new forms of dental practice has been observed in the FDI World Dental Federation. Elementary foundations such as the free dentist and therapy choice, and independent, free, self-responsible professional practice may be undermined. The current study is aimed at analyzing the general training framework, organization, and professional types of dental practice in the European Regional Organization (ERO) zone and at critically discussing selected aspects of changes in the dental profession. METHOD AND MATERIALS: A questionnaire was developed by the ERO Working-Group "Liberal Dental Practice." Information about dental schools, professional organizations, dental practice regulations, and ambulatory healthcare centers was analyzed. RESULTS: Self-employed dental practice is the most common type of practice (51.7%). Dentists are allowed to work independently immediately after graduation (72.7%). Approximately one-third are organized as compulsory members in chambers/corporations. The density of dentists has a mean of 1,570 inhabitants per dentist. In most countries, there are no special rules for founding dental ambulatory healthcare centers. In a total of 353 universities of the ERO countries surveyed, 16,619 dentists per year were trained, with a trend toward a higher percentage of female students (63%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite modern forms of dental practice, the charter of the individual liberal dental profession (CED et al, 2013) should be respected and taken into account on the basis of ethical principles. The commercialization of the dental profession can be neutralized only by establishing and following well-defined ethical principles; oral healthcare quality can thus be ensured without the influence of third parties.