title: Special Care Dentistry: attitudes of Specialists in Paediatric Dentistry practising in the UK to the creation of a new specialty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to examine the attitudes of Specialists in Paediatric Dentistry (SPDs) practising in the UK towards the creation of a specialty of Special Care Dentistry (SCD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected by postal questionnaire. Sample and methods. Two hundred and eleven dentists whose names were entered on the General Dental Council's Specialist List in Paediatric Dentistry, and who were resident and practising in the UK, were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of both open and closed questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Questionnaires were returned by 167 (79.2%) of the eligible SPDs. One hundred and sixty respondents (95.8%) expressed an opinion in relation to the creation of a specialty of SCD. One hundred and forty-three respondents (85.6%) stated that they supported such a proposal. However, slightly fewer (n = 149) respondents were prepared to indicate what they considered to be the remit of the proposed specialty. Ninety-two respondents (55.1%) considered that it should be restricted to the provision of specialist care for adults with 'special needs'; the remaining 57 respondents felt that it should provide specialist care across the entire age spectrum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among SPDs, there is overwhelming support for the creation of a specialty of SCD, the majority view being that this should be dedicated to the provision of specialist care for adults with 'special needs'.
authors.affiliation: Dental Health and Biological Sciences, Dental School, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK. hunterml@cf.ac.uk
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D003815:Dentists / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom