A comparison of patient satisfaction among current and former dental school patients.

Patient satisfaction is becoming an increasingly important indicator of quality dental care. However, most patient satisfaction surveys target only the current patients of the dental practice or institution, which may give an inflated estimate of satisfaction with care, since dissatisfied patients are likely to have left the practice or institution. The purpose of this study was to compare the satisfaction of three categories of dental school patients with several aspects of care received at the school. Data were collected using a telephone survey of 291 patients, systematically selected from the dental school's computer listings of all current, recall, and former patients. The survey instrument sought information about why respondents came to the school for dental treatment, why respondents who were no longer in treatment had dropped out of care, and respondents' opinions on eleven aspects of quality of care provided at the dental school. Dental students who had completed a training session served as interviewers. Results indicate that, overall, patient satisfaction with the care received was high, with none of the means for any category of patient falling into the dissatisfied range. Respondents who had dropped out of care were less satisfied than active or recall patients in five areas: quality of care, length and number of appointments, treatment explanation, and fees. Results have implications for dental school administrators and educators in their efforts to provide high quality patient care and to retain an adequate patient pool to ensure optimal clinical experiences for students.

An investigation of dental student values.

The development of a dental student's professional values system is an important issue in dental education. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative importance of different values of dental student and instructor populations at a single dental school. Data was collected from surveys disseminated to dental students and faculty. Statistical analysis of the data indicated faculty showed a different set of values than students. Faculty placed greater value on patient care and clinical education. Students were more focused on passing licensure examinations, completing course requirements, and personal satisfaction. Junior and senior dental students placed greater value on the requirements of becoming a licensed dentist than did their younger student colleagues. Freshman and sophomore dental students placed higher values on additional academic pursuits and personal growth. This study also revealed no statistically significant difference between males and females in any of the values ranked.

A computerized business simulation for dental practice management.

Computerized simulations have been used for many years for teaching principles of management in business schools. This paper describes the development of a computerized business simulation for use in dental school practice management courses. The simulation is in a competitive game format. It requires students to formulate strategies and to implement management decisions that reinforce and fulfill that strategy. Participants use the outcomes of these decisions to formulate new management decisions for the upcoming period. Student response to participation in the simulation has been positive, with students indicating that participation is valuable for developing better understanding of analytical business management techniques and interpersonal techniques such as group process and leadership skills.

Design of a compensation system for dental practice.

The compensation system has an impact on the performance of employees in a dental practice. A comprehensive system includes many aspects in addition to the pay that employees receive. This paper explores issues related to the design and implementation of compensation systems in dentistry. Major considerations are the role of pay as a motivator of employees, decisions affecting pay equity of employees, the impact of wage and hour laws on pay decisions, the relationship of performance appraisal to potential pay increases, the use of bonus and incentive plans, and incorporation of fringe benefits into a compensation system.

Teaching dental students mirror vision skills.

A study was undertaken to determine the most advantageous format for teaching dental students the perceptual motor skills needed in mirror vision. It was found that performance varied, with each student reaching a personal limit of performance in regard to time and errors. Groups that performed the exercise in different formats (massed, distributed, progressive, and simple) all improved in relation to the control group, but not in relation to each other. There was significant correlation between the time taken to complete the exercise and errors incurred on both pre- and post-tests.