Factors affecting the amount of long-term restorative dental treatment provided to 100 patients by 20 dentists in 3 Adelaide private practices.
Apart from the effects of the frequency of patient attendance for dental examination, and of a change of dentist, little is known of those factors which may influence the amount of treatment provided in dental practice. The present study investigated during 1992 the effects of seven factors on the amount of treatment provided for 100 adult patients treated by 20 male dentists over many years in three selected Adelaide private practices. The amounts of particular types of restorative treatments provided were significantly related to patient age, gender and frequency of attendance, and to practice location, change of dentist and number of changes of dentist, and to the experience or time since graduation of the dentist. These factors were of special significance for the number of crowns provided, most of which were placed in older patients by more experienced dentists. But, there was no evidence of increased numbers of direct placement restorations being received by patients who attended more frequently or who changed their dentists.
Hawthorne
W S
WS
Dental Section, 6 Hospital, RAAF Williams, Laverton, Victoria.
Smales
R J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003188:Composite Resins; D003442:Crowns / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements; D006801:Humans; D007347:Insurance, Dental; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011331:Private Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors
D003188:Composite Resins; D005899:Glass Ionomer Cements; D003723:Dental Amalgam