Professional development for dental technicians; A pilot study

Abstract

Objective To investigate the continuing professional development (CPD) needs of dental technicians in the North of England.Subjects Thirty-nine commercial laboratories with postal addresses in the North of England and 32 dental technicians working within NHS hospitals, community dental laboratories and a university dental school.Design Structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus groups.Results A 44% response rate was achieved following two mailings to commercial laboratories. A 91% response rate was achieved from technicians working within the NHS sector and university dental school. Those who responded were in overall agreement about the proposed introduction of a CPD policy for dental technicians. A minority expressed concerns regarding the constraints of cost, time and access.Conclusion This study highlighted a number of potential problems regarding the introduction of a CPD policy for dental technicians. To work it would need to meet the needs of the technician and the employer. It would also need to be flexible, practical and financially viable. © 2007 Nature Publishing Group.