Comparison of ideal and actual behavior of patients and dentists during dental treatment.

The ideal behavior of dentists and patients has seldom been studied with the aim of determining whether it is similar to the actual behavior of the two groups. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare whether the ideal behavior of dentists and patients differed from their actual behavior. Thirty-three volunteering dentists and 271 of their patients from the public and private sectors in different parts of Finland participated in the study. The dentists first filled out a questionnaire with 5-scale Likert-type statements about the ideal patient and questions concerning their own background variables. In connection with normal dental practice their dental nurses selected 10 patients, who before treatment filled out a questionnaire containing statements about the desired behavior of an ideal dentist and their own background variables. Immediately after the treatment, both dentists and patients filled out another questionnaire containing similar statements, which this time indicated whether the dentist/patient actually behaved according to the ideal. Differences between each individual and the independent ideal and actual scores were compared by cross-tabulation and percentage agreement. With regard to the ideal behavior that was directly related to the treatment procedure, the expectations of both dentists and patients were usually met. In general, the patients did not disrupt the procedures and the dentists were able to concentrate on the treatment. The discrepancies most often found between the ideal and the actual behavior concerned the level of communication. The patients often would like to have been talked to more and wanted to be encouraged. The dentists were not sure whether their patients were interested in or motivated about the treatment or whether they followed the home care instructions. In general, there evidently is a clear gap in communication between dentists and patients, which may lead to frustration on both sides. It is thus suggested that when dentists are trained, more emphasis be placed on communication skills.