title: Provision of specific dental procedures by general dentists in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network: questionnaire findings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Objectives were to: (1) determine whether and how often general dentists (GDs) provide specific dental procedures; and (2) test the hypothesis that provision is associated with key dentist, practice, and patient characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  GDs (n = 2,367) in the United States National Dental Practice-Based Research Network completed an Enrollment Questionnaire that included: (1) dentist; (2) practice; and (3) patient characteristics, and how commonly they provide each of 10 dental procedures. We determined how commonly procedures were provided and tested the hypothesis that provision was substantively related to the three sets of characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two procedure categories were classified as "uncommon" (orthodontics, periodontal surgery), three were "common" (molar endodontics; implants; non-surgical periodontics), and five were "very common" (restorative; esthetic procedures; extractions; removable prosthetics; non-molar endodontics). Dentist, practice, and patient characteristics were substantively related to procedure provision; several characteristics seemed to have pervasive effects, such as dentist gender, training after dental school, full-time/part-time status, private practice vs. institutional practice, presence of a specialist in the same practice, and insurance status of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As a group, GDs provide a comprehensive range of procedures. However, provision by individual dentists is substantively related to certain dentist, practice, and patient characteristics. A large number and broad range of factors seem to influence which procedures GDs provide. This may have implications for how GDs respond to the ever-changing landscape of dental care utilization, patient population demography, scope of practice, delivery models and GDs' evolving role in primary care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, SDB Room 109, 1530 Third Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0007, USA. ghg@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Gregg H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Valeria V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Gordan
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Korelitz
authors.forename: Jeffrey L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fellows
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meyerowitz
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Oates
authors.forename: D Brad
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Rindal
authors.forename: Randall J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gregory
mesh_terms: D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003824:Denture, Complete / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004499:Education, Dental, Graduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005260:Female; D005792:General Practice, Dental; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057747:Periodontal Debridement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011331:Private Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D013039:Specialties, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants