Business orientation and the willingness to distribute dental tasks of Dutch dentists

Abstract

Aim: Dentists have a dual professional role: they have to focus on good oral health in their patients and, at the same time, they have to organise their practices. The aim of this analysis was to assess the extent to which dentists can be seen as business-oriented and/or willing to delegate to dental team members and others, and to investigate which personal and practice characteristics of dentists can be regarded as determinants for these two aspects of their professional role. Method: The data were collected in 2000 by means of a written questionnaire sent to a random stratified sample of 790 dentists. Results: 607 (77 per cent) dentists responded. Multivariate regression analysis showed that business oriented dentists distinguish themselves by having larger practices and a higher level of professional satisfaction. Furthermore, although to a lesser extent, on a regular basis, they treat patients from colleagues in the practice. There are proportionately fewer women dentists in this category. Dentists oriented on task distribution can also be typified by working in larger practices, but in addition they have a greater preventive treatment philosophy and have more hours of support provided by oral hygienists. Conclusion: Among Dutch dentists there exist clear differences in the way they take on their role as dentists with regard to business orientation and their willingness to distribute dental tasks.