Social Science and Dentistry

cover art

Cover Date:
June 2014
Print ISSN:
2040-4263
Vol:
3
Issue:
1

An ethical dilemma: our current understanding of prevention in primary dental care. A qualitative study

Objectives: This study aims to explore the views of general dental practitioners and dental care professionals on prevention in general dental practice and the challenges they face in its implementation. Design: A purposive sample of dental practices in north central London was selected based on the following criteria: size of the dental practice, size of the NHS dental contract and the level of engagement with prevention. In total, 11 practices out of total of 22 were approached with five agreeing to participate. A topic guide was developed which explored current roles and responsibilities of staff, current practice and barriers to practising prevention and developing preventive roles in dental practice. Four focus groups were conducted, two with dentists (n=12) and two with dental care professionals (n=13). Focus group discussions were recorded and tapes transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: There were broad similarities in the themes that emerged from the four focus groups. Prevention was considered to be important, and for dentists, it was viewed to be part of their ethical obligation. A number of barriers were cited in providing preventive care including organisational factors (lack of adequate remuneration, bureaucracy, isolation), patient related factors (motivation and compliance), and clinician related factors (lack of motivation, lack of training and limited access to resources). Dentists felt isolated and were keen to engage and integrate with other health services and educational settings. Conclusion: Implementation of prevention needs to be supported by tackling the barriers faced by dental teams in order to widen the opportunities for health promotion in primary dental care.

Key words: prevention, primary dental care, barriers, qualitative

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
17
Page End
26
Authors
H Yusuf, M Murphy, A Ntouva, T Newton, M Murdoch, R Watt

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial
  2. 1
  3. 1

  1. The use of Motivational Interviewing in oral health interventions; overview
  2. 2
  3. 4

  1. Assessing fidelity in Motivational Interviewing interventions; an overview
  2. 5
  3. 9

  1. Testing fidelity in Motivational Interviewing oral health interventions: an example
  2. 10
  3. 13

  1. Challenges in testing fidelity in Motivational Interviewing oral health interventions
  2. 14
  3. 16

  1. An ethical dilemma: our current understanding of prevention in primary dental care. A qualitative study
  2. 17
  3. 26

  1. Beyond social determinants: a neo-Marxist approach to understanding the causes of the social determinants of inequalities in oral health
  2. 27
  3. 33