Objectives:
Our objective was to review the literature to assess the impacts of dental care programs on healthcare
and societal outcomes. Specifically, to identify the nature of such programs, including the type of
services delivered, who was targeted, where services were delivered, and how access to dental care was
enabled. Also, what kind of societal and healthcare outcomes have been attempted to be addressed
through these programs were identified
Result:
The search resulted in 29,468 original articles, of which 25 were included in the data synthesis. We
found minimal evidence that answers our proposed research question. The majority of identified
programs have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing medical and dental healthcare utilization
(especially for non-preventive services) and avert more invasive treatments, and to a lesser degree,
resulting in cost-savings. Moreover, some promising but limited evidence about program impacts on
societal outcomes such as reducing homelessness and improving employability was reported.
Conclusion:
Despite the well-known societal and economic consequences of dental problem, there is a paucity of
studies that address the impacts of dental care programs from the societal and healthcare system
perspectives.
Objective:
The current research was designed to describe the development and implementation of the Terry Reilly
Health Services (TRHS) Latah Medical-Dental-Behavioral Health integrated clinic (Latah clinic)
Respondents:
Data was collected through structured interviews with a purposive sample of employees from TRHS;
observations of a Latah Clinic care team meeting; an environmental scan of facility space; and an
analysis of intake forms used at the Latah Clinic. Seven employees from TRHS were invited to participate
in structured interviews. Five participants completed the interviews, three face-to-face and two via e-
mail. Checklists were developed to document evidence of integration during the Latah Clinic care team
meeting, environmental scan and analysis of intake forms.
Result:
The findings from this study suggest that the Latah Clinic is fully integrated and demonstrates high levels
of collaboration. The clinic would like to continue to grow and improve, therefore, suggestions to aide in
this endeavor were provided. Study limitations such as small sample size and the lack of information
from the perspective of the patient must be considered when interpreting the findings.
Conclusion:
TRHS Latah Medical-Dental-Behavioral Health Clinic is a rarity in the United States. The strategies used in
the TRHS integration process serve as a model for other practices and health care organizations as they
evolve toward becoming patient-centered medical-dental homes.
Objective:
this survey aimed to determine university students’ satisfaction with dental care at the primary
healthcare level and the factors that influence students’ decisions when choosing a dental provider
MDPI Open Access Journals
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Journals Clinics and Practice Volume 13 Issue 1 10.3390/clinpract13010005
settingsOrder Article Reprints
Open AccessArticle
University Students’ Satisfaction with the Quality of Primary Dental Healthcare Services and Dentists in
Croatia: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Antonija Tadin 1,2,*ORCID,Marijeta Dadic 3 andLidia Gavic 1ORCID
Department of Restorative Dental Medicine and Endodontics, Study of Dental Medicine, School of
Medicine, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Clinical Hospital Centre Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Private Dental Practice, 20350 Metkovic, Croatia
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Clin. Pract. 2023, 13(1), 52-64; https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract13010005
Received: 18 November 2022 / Revised: 19 December 2022 / Accepted: 27 December 2022 / Published:
30 December 2022
Abstract
Measuring satisfaction can be an essential method for evaluating and improving healthcare quality.
Therefore, this survey aimed to determine university students’ satisfaction with dental care at the
primary healthcare level and the factors that influence students’ decisions when choosing a dental
provider. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered electronic questionnaire that
assessed satisfaction with various aspects of dental care (patient–staff interaction, professional and
technical competence, and administrative efficiency) on a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 806 students
participated in the survey, of whom 56.6% were from a biomedical science background, and 43.4% from
other scientific fields. Near-minimal differences were found between respondents studying in
biomedical fields and those from other scientific fields, when evaluating satisfaction with dental
services. More significant differences were found in the factors influencing their choice of dentist. The
dentist’s experience (p = 0.031), cost of service (p ≤ 0.001), office location (p = 0.034), waiting time (p =
0.029), qualifications (p = 0.033), and gender (p = 0.007) were more important for students pursuing one
of the non-health-related majors. Overall, respondents were very satisfied with their dentists and the
services provided. The highest satisfaction score was found on the “professional and technical
competence” and “administrative efficiency” subscales, while the lowest satisfaction score was found on
the “patient–staff interaction” subscale.
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