title: Patient-centred care--what is it and how is it practised in the dental surgery?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper explores the understanding and practice of patient-centred care (PCC) within dentistry. The aim of the research was to explore the nature of PCC, how PCC is taught and how it is practiced within a dental setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  The results of a qualitative, interview-based study of dental professionals working across clinical and teaching positions within a dental school are presented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results suggest that a shared understanding of PCC revolves round a basic sense of humanity ('being nice to patients'), giving information that is judged, by the clinician, to be in the patient's best interest and 'allowing' patient choice from a set of choices made available to patients by the clinicians themselves.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research suggests that significant work is needed if dentists are going to conform to the General Dental Council guidelines on patient-centred practice and a series of recommendations are made to this end.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Social and Behavioural Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Sasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scambler
authors.affiliation: Unit of Dental Public Health, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Adyya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Unit of Social and Behavioural Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Koula
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asimakopoulou
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D057285:Precision Medicine / Q000379:methods; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000379:methods*
keywords: dentistry; patient-centred care