Biomaterial Database

Attitudes of New Zealand dentists, dental specialists and dental students towards employing dual-trained Oral Health graduates. 2011

S Moffat, and D Coates

Department of Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, PO Box 647, Dunedin, New Zealand. susan.moffat@otago.ac.nz

OBJECTIVE To determine the attitudes of New Zealand dentists and dental specialists towards employing dual-trained Oral Health (dental therapy/dental hygiene) graduates, their knowledge of the scopes of practice and practising requirements for Oral Health (OH) graduates, and the barriers to employment of these graduates. METHODS A postal questionnaire was sent to 600 dentists randomly selected from the Dental Council of New Zealand register, as well as all dental specialists on the register. All fifth-year dental students in 2008 were also surveyed. RESULTS The response rates for the questionnaires were 66.8% for dentists, 64.5% for dental specialists (specialists) and 72.9% for dental students. Knowledge of the scopes of practice and practising requirements for OH graduates was limited in some areas. Fifty-nine percent of private dental practitioners (PDP dentists) and 53% of specialists would consider employing an OH graduate. The main reason given for not employing an OH graduate was insufficient physical space in the practice. CONCLUSIONS New Zealand dentists and dental specialists were receptive to employing OH graduates. Knowledge of the OH scopes of practice and practising requirements is likely to improve as more OH students graduate and start work. The OH graduates have the potential to make a valuable contribution to the dental team.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007400	Interprofessional Relations	The reciprocal interaction of two or more professional individuals.	Etiquette, Medical,Medical Etiquette,Relations, Interprofessional
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009520	New Zealand	A group of islands in the southwest Pacific. Its capital is Wellington. It was discovered by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642 and circumnavigated by Cook in 1769. Colonized in 1840 by the New Zealand Company, it became a British crown colony in 1840 until 1907 when colonial status was terminated. New Zealand is a partly anglicized form of the original Dutch name Nieuw Zeeland, new sea land, possibly with reference to the Dutch province of Zeeland. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p842 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p378)
D010348	Patient Care Team	Care of patients by a multidisciplinary team usually organized under the leadership of a physician; each member of the team has specific responsibilities and the whole team contributes to the care of the patient.	Health Care Team,Interdisciplinary Health Team,Medical Care Team,Multidisciplinary Care Team,Multidisciplinary Health Team,Healthcare Team,Care Team, Health,Care Team, Medical,Care Team, Multidisciplinary,Care Team, Patient,Care Teams, Health,Care Teams, Patient,Health Care Teams,Health Team, Interdisciplinary,Health Team, Multidisciplinary,Healthcare Teams,Interdisciplinary Health Teams,Medical Care Teams,Multidisciplinary Care Teams,Multidisciplinary Health Teams,Patient Care Teams,Team, Health Care,Team, Healthcare,Team, Interdisciplinary Health,Team, Medical Care,Team, Multidisciplinary Care,Team, Multidisciplinary Health,Team, Patient Care,Teams, Interdisciplinary Health
D011331	Private Practice	Practice of a health profession by an individual, offering services on a person-to-person basis, as opposed to group or partnership practice.	Solo Practice,Practice, Private,Practice, Solo,Practices, Private,Practices, Solo,Private Practices,Solo Practices
D011364	Professional Practice	The use of one's knowledge in a particular profession. It includes, in the case of the field of biomedicine, professional activities related to health care and the actual performance of the duties related to the provision of health care.	Practice, Professional,Practices, Professional,Professional Practices
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003479	Curriculum	A course of study offered by an educational institution.	Curricula,Short-Term Courses,Course, Short-Term,Courses, Short-Term,Short Term Courses,Short-Term Course
D003726	Dental Assistants	Individuals who assist the dentist or the dental hygienist.	Dental Nurses,Nurses, Dental,Assistant, Dental,Assistants, Dental,Dental Assistant,Dental Nurse,Nurse, Dental