Patient preferences for dentists.

A representative British sample of 257 adults completed a questionnaire in which they indicated their preference for eight dentists stratified by sex, age, and training location. These data were analysed in relation to participants' own sex and age, the latter stratified by a median split. A mixed analysis of variance indicated two main effects: a preference for younger (rather than older) dentists and dentists trained in Britain (rather than in Asia). There were also a significant two-way interaction between dentist age and training location: for the British-trained there was a preference for younger dentists, whereas for the Asian-trained there was a preference for older dentists. Limitations of the study design are discussed in conclusion.