Abstract

HUDSON, APG; YEO, L; HARRIS, AMP  and  MOHAMED, N. Factors influencing dental practitioners' decision to perform interceptive orthodontic treatment in public and private practice settings in the Tswane metropole, South Africa. S. Afr. dent. j. [online]. 2024, vol.79, n.3, pp.148-156. ISSN 0375-1562.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sadj.v79i03.16897.

INTRODUCTION: General dentists are often reluctant to perform interceptive orthodontic treatment (IOT) in their practices. As IOT can be of great benefit to some patients, the study aimed to explore the factors that influence the implementation of such treatment. METHODOLOGY: A sample of 24 general dental practitioners was selected. One-on-one interviews, guided by two questionnaires, were conducted with each of the participants at either their place of work or in a public location. They answered structured questions regarding the treatment plans for five paper patient scenarios to test their knowledge on interceptive orthodontics (IO). The knowledge scores were assessed according to whether the participants were in private or public practice and on a socioeconomic scale according to where they practiced. A second questionnaire focused on the patient confidence levels with respect to performing IOT as well as other practical issues that have a bearing on IOT. RESULTS: All the participants in the study achieved a knowledge score over 70% with no statistically significant differences found between the private and public sectors. However, when compared according to the different socioeconomic areas, the practitioners from the middle-income socioeconomic area displayed a lower knowledge score that was statistically significant (p=0.029). This group also performed significantly (p=0.001) poorer than the other groups when "treating" Case 1. Seventy-five percent of the participants were very confident regarding their IO diagnosis and treatment planning. However, this confidence was tempered by their confidence (42%) in their undergraduate orthodontic programme. All the participants acknowledged the importance of timeous IOT, yet only 79% stated that they would have treated the "patients" in their own practices. Factors affecting the non-delivery of IOT in practice showed that 50% of the dentists expressed no interest in orthodontics, 54% mentioned medical aid remuneration as a negative factor and 58% did not have the practice infrastructure to be able to perform IOT. CONCLUSION: The lack of interest compounded by the practical challenges of finances, practice infrastructure and lack of patient motivation and compliance are the real issues, with patients often being considered for treatment when it is too late for IOT. Factors influencing dental practitioners' decision to perform interceptive orthodontic treatment in public and private practice settings in the Tshwane metropole, South Africa.

Keywords : Dentist; interceptive orthodontics; knowledge; treatment; socioeconomic factors.

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