Assessing patient willingness to reveal health history information

Article Abstract:

Some dental patients are unwilling to disclose sensitive health information on dental history forms. Researchers surveyed 107 adult dental patients about their willingness to divulge personal health information on medical and dental history forms. Twenty-three percent of patients would not reveal illicit drug use on dental history forms and 18% would not provide this information on medical history forms. Eight percent of patients would not disclose venereal diseases to their dentist and 1% declined to report these diseases to their medical providers. Three percent of patients would not disclose HIV or tuberculosis infections on dental history forms and 1% would not reveal this information on medical history forms. Privacy was the most common reason for withholding health information from the dentist. Twelve percent of patients believed that dentists need complete information about patients' health status and 13% believed that dental hygienists require such information.

Health aspects, Social aspects, Reports, Patients, Dentist and patient, Dentist-patient relations, Dental surveys

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Assessing abuse and neglect and dental fear in women

Article Abstract:

Traumatic experiences in childhood or adulthood appear to contribute to adult patients' fears of dental examinations. Researchers analyzed the responses of surveys completed by 462 women aged 18 to 45 years about their dental fears and their history of traumatic experiences including rape, neglect, and physical or emotional abuse. Women who reported experiencing one or more of these traumatic experiences also reported having greater anxiety about dental examinations as compared to women with no history of these experiences. Women who reported having high levels of anxiety towards dental examinations were more likely to have had one or more of these traumatic experiences as compared to women with minimal fear of dental examinations. Among these respondents, 64.5% reported experiencing one or more of these traumas. Previous trauma accounted for 7% of the differences in the respondents' fear of dental examinations.

Psychological aspects, Causes of, Dentistry, Abused women, Phobias

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Assessing continued competency: an approach for dentistry

Article Abstract:

A coalition of dental organizations recommends that the dentistry profession consider instituting relicensing examinations and offers guidelines for such an process. Such an examination should identify incompetent dentists, improve the overall standard of care, and recognize superior clinicians. Any assessment should be valid and reliable, be applied uniformly, have objective standards, and provide a remediation process. Expectations should be explicit and understood by the examiner and those being assessed. In addition to modifying current approaches used for licensing dentists initially, state licensure boards could consider sending a team for an in-office audit, having dentists present selected cases from their practice, testing the dentist with a standardized simulated case, or adding testing to continuing education programs. Each of these approaches has strengths and weaknesses.

Testing, Dentists, Licensing agreements, Clinical competence

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