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A descriptive study of how dentists view their profession and the doctor-patient relationship

På svenska

Author

  • Karoly Kulich
  • Olof Rydén
  • Hans Bengtsson

Summary, in English

In this article we report on how 64 dentists working in a big city in southern Sweden view their profession. The dentists ranged in age from 30 to 70 years (as it was indicated in intervals of 10 years). Their professional experience ranged from 2 to 44 years (mean, 23 years). We collected their views on the ideal skills of a good dentist by means of a questionnaire. From this material we identified three categories: 1) interpersonal skills; 2) clinical skills; and 3) others, such as self-confidence, stress tolerance, and managerial and administrative skills. Next, they rated the relative importance of a number of listed attributes in dentistry in this order: contact with patients, communication skills, empathy, manual skills, and theory. Finally, they described a number of aspects of their profession. We conclude that the importance of interpersonal skills, as well as stress tolerance and administrative skills, is emphasized by experienced practitioners but that these skills are not focused on in the dental curriculum.

Publishing year

1998

Language

English

Pages

206-209

Publication/Series

Acta Odontologica Scandinavica

Volume

56

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Topic

  • Psychology

Keywords

  • dental education
  • professional experience
  • professional identity

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1502-3850