Background
Methods
Subjects
Data collection
Data analysis
Results
Sample characteristics
Number | ||
---|---|---|
Gender | ||
Male | 15 | |
Female | 15 | |
Age (in years) | ||
18–30 | 6 | |
31–50 | 8 | |
51–60 | 6 | |
61–70 | 7 | |
> 70 | 3 | |
Treatment | ||
Single treatment | Endodontic treatment | 1 |
Periodontal treatment | 2 | |
Orthodontic treatment | 3 | |
Dental implant | 2 | |
Tooth extraction | 1 | |
Oral maxillofacial surgery | 3 | |
Multiple treatment | 18 |
Themes and subthemes on dental satisfaction
Attitude
“I think the dentists or students are careful. They explained clearly to me about the treatment purpose and procedure when I asked for more information. They told me what they were doing, what they were going to do, when to do certain treatment, all was very clear. And before I received dental implant treatment, they had solved all the other problems in my oral cavity and had ensured that no more problems would affect the dental implant.”(Participant 25, Group 4, female, multiple treatments)
“When doing the scaling, the dentists in PPDH gave me instructions of how to take care my own teeth while those in private clinic did not. They only provided scaling and actually I did not know what they did for me. In PPDH, they showed me what my oral problem was with a mirror and explained to me.”(Participant 19, Group 3, male, multiple treatments)
“The dentist who extracted my teeth and his DSA were so kind that they kept following up my situation as I suffered pain and my cheek was badly swollen after extraction. They always comforted me and explained clearly to me what I could do and I thanked them for their cares. ”(Participant 1, Group 1, female, multiple treatments)
“Sometimes the dentists’ explanation about the treatment was not detailed enough, because I was going to receive maxillofacial surgery, I expected the dentist to explain more in detail. I wanted to know about the length of the surgery, the possible complications and risks.”(Participant 3, Group 1, female, single treatment)
“Sometimes, during the treatment, the DSA spoke too much and kept chatting with the dentist, which distracted the dentist’s attention and made him not focused enough.”(Participant 12, Group 2, male, multiple treatments)
Cost
“I feel quite worthwhile to enjoy the dental care service at such a low price. I believe if I visited a dentist in private setting, I can’t afford the same dental care service. I used to receive an endodontic treatment in private clinic that cost me 8000-9000 Hong Kong dollars while it only cost me dozens of dollars for each visit here in PPDH. I think it is quite worthwhile.”(Participant 11, Group 2, male, multiple treatments)
“The price is much cheaper in PPDH, for example, the price of dental implant in private clinic is three times as high compared with the price in PPDH.”(Participant 16, Group 3, male, multiple treatments)
Convenience
“The hospital is closed on Saturday and Sunday, which makes a lot of patients have to ask for leave from work in order to visit the dentist.”(Participant3, Group1, female, single treatment)
“It is more difficult to book an appointment in PPDH compared with private clinic. Not every phone call would be answered, and sometimes you need to leave a message and wait for response.”(Participant 5, Group 1, male, single treatment)
“I am not the only one who tried to get admitted to the hospital for receiving the dental care and I waited almost one year for my first appointment. Some of my friends also wanted to receive dental care in PPDH as they needed some dental care, however, they failed to get admitted. It would be better if more people could get admitted.”(Participant 20, Group 3, female, multiple treatments)
“When something emergency happened, they told me to visit the dentists in private clinics, which made me feel no sense of belonging.”(Participant 4, Group 1, male, multiple treatments)
“I don’t like the treatment schedule, it was too long between each visit, sometimes I had to wait for one month and sometimes I waited for 2 to 3 months (before I can see the dentist again).”(Participant 8, Group 2, male, single treatment)
“I think the treatment duration should be shortened so that I do not need to visit the dentist for so many times.”(Participant 6, Group 1, female, multiple treatments)
“During the treatment, sometimes the students needed the dentist (clinical teacher) to come and check before they can take the next step, which kept me waiting for a long time, especially when the dentist was teaching other students, I had to keep my mouth wide open and wait.”(Participant 15, Group 2, female, single treatment)
Pain management
“I think they did well in pain management and they never let me feel very painful. I could raise my hand and he would inject more anesthetic before carrying on, thus I felt no pain.”(Participant 2, Group 1, male, single treatment)
“During the treatment such as deep scaling (subgingival scaling), even though six shots of local anesthetics were injected, I still felt painful… My teeth was hypersensitive, the cold water irritated my teeth and made me feel really painful.”(Participant 17, Group 3, male, single treatment)
“Because of the inflammation, … the dentist prescribed me a stronger pain killer, but not everyone could take that pain killer, I got stomachache after taking it for two times.”(Participant 1, Group 1, female, multiple treatment)
Quality
“I considered the technology used in treatment when evaluating the quality of dental care. I don’t think the dentists in private clinic use the same technology as in this hospital.”(Participant 5, Group 1, male, single treatment)
“I think the equipment is good enough in PPDH, the X-ray can take picture in 360 degrees (oral panoramic radiography) and I do not need to move at all. I think the equipment here is much better than that in private clinics.”(Participant 16, Group 3, male, multiple treatments)
“When that student examined my teeth, … I felt that his skill was not so good, he made me feel painful.”(Participant 29, Group 4, male, single treatment)
“Even though the master student had to have a professor to supervise and instruct him throughout the treatment procedure. I still felt confident about his skills. ”(Participant 27, Group 4, female, multiple treatments)
“What I appreciate the most is the disinfection in PPDH. Used stuff was put into plastic bags. And the DSA in charge of disinfection recycled all the used stuff for disinfection and sterilized stuff was prepared for the next patient.”(Participant 21, Group 3, female, single treatment)
“I saw the DSA was helping a student for a while then she said that she needed to help another student and left, thus the student had to wait for her to come back and continue the help… I saw that there was a shortage of DSA…”(Participant 15, Group 2, female, single treatment)
“I saw the student had no DSA to help him, and he was busy doing all the things by himself. I think maybe sometimes he forgot to change the gloves because he was too busy.”(Participant 7, Group 2, female, single treatment)
“My orthodontic treatment required a long time, at the beginning I was under the care of one dentist and then changed to another later on.The communication between dentists was not good enough, the second dentist did not know my case very well.”(Participant 5, Group 1, male, single treatment)
“The treatment outcome was good in this hospital. I received the treatment ten years ago, and I have been free from dental problem for a long time since then… Thus I believe the quality of the dental care in PPDH is quite good.”(Participant 30, Group 4, female, multiple treatments)
Patients’ perceived need for oral disease prevention
“(One aspect I am happy with is) the oral health education given here.”(Participant 20, Group3, female, multiple treatments)
“I am wondering whether more effort can be put in oral health education… because I know little knowledge of taking care of my teeth… I think promotion via TV can be used to educate people regarding the importance of oral health care.”(Participant 10, Group 2, female, single treatment)
“I hope I can book appointment for regular checkup in PPDH after finishing the treatment.”(Participant 13, Group 2, male, multiple treatments)
Themes | Sub-themes | New Items (Statement) | DSQ Items |
---|---|---|---|
Attitude | Attitude of the dentists/students | Item 2. Dentists are very careful to check everything when examining their patients (Quality) Item 11. Dentists aren’t as thorough as they should be (Quality) Item 16. Dentists usually explain what they are going to do and how much it will cost before they begin treatment (Quality) Item 6. Dentists always treat their patients with respect (Quality) | |
Attitude of the dental supporting staff | 1. The working attitude of the nurse made me feel uncomfortable | ||
Cost | Item 3. The fees dentists charge are too high (Cost) | ||
Convenience | Access | 2. The dental service is accessible when I need emergency dental care | Item 15. Office hours when you can get dental care are good for most people (Access) Item 9. Places where you can get dental care are very conveniently located (Availability/Convenience) Item 13. It’s hard to get an appointment for dental care right away (Access) Item 5. Peoples are usually kept waiting for a long time when they are at the dentist’s office (Access) |
3. The admission procedure of the Hospital is convenient and fast | |||
Treatment procedure | 4. There are too many visits throughout the whole treatment plan | ||
Pain management | Item 8. Dentists should do more to reduce your pain (Pain management) | ||
Quality | Operator(s) | 5. I am confident about the clinical skills of the dentists/students | Item 14. Dentists are able to relieve or cure most dental problems that people have (Quality) Item 7. There are enough dentists around here (Availability/Convenience) Item 12. I see the same dentists just about every time I go for dental care (Continuity) Item 18. Dentist’s offices are very modern and up to date (Environment) |
Hospital | 6. The infection control procedures are satisfactory | ||
Patients’ perceived needs for oral disease prevention | Oral health education | 7. The dentists/students have delivered me instructions of how to take care my own teeth. (appropriate oral health education) | |
8. I can easily obtain oral health information from the hospital | |||
Regular follow-up | 9. Adequate post-treatment follow-up is provided |