Dentists' perceptions of their professional roles regarding referrals within primary dental care in England: a qualitative study.

Objective: To describe dentists' perceptions of their professional roles, including the reasons why they make, accept or decline patient referrals within primary dental care in England.

Basic Research Design: Qualitative semi-structured interviews, conducted via Skype, telephone or face-to-face. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis and typologies were developed.

Impact of time pressure on dentists' diagnostic performance.

Objectives: Although stress is prevalent amongst dentists, there is a paucity of data on the impact of stressors on dentists' clinical performance. To address this gap in the literature, the aim of the present study was to explore the role of time pressure, representing one common stressor, on dentists' radiographic diagnostic performance.

Methods: Forty dentists were randomised to examine and provide a radiographic report on two sets of radiographs (six bitewings in each set) under two conditions on a cross-over basis: time-pressure vs.

Mental imagery in dentistry: Phenomenology and role in dental anxiety.

Dental anxiety is a prevalent problem with marked psychological, physical and public health implications. Based on cognitive theory and evidence, we hypothesized that vivid, sensory image-based cognitions play a role in dental anxiety. A quantitative online survey (N = 306) and qualitative semi-structured interviews (N = 18) found that vivid sensory images were common irrespective of dental anxiety levels, but that their content, associated distress and responses varied.

Injectable local anaesthetic agents for dental anaesthesia.

Background: Pain during dental treatment, which is a common fear of patients, can be controlled successfully by local anaesthetic. Several different local anaesthetic formulations and techniques are available to dentists.

Objectives: Our primary objectives were to compare the success of anaesthesia, the speed of onset and duration of anaesthesia, and systemic and local adverse effects amongst different local anaesthetic formulations for dental anaesthesia.

The Soothing Sea: A Virtual Coastal Walk Can Reduce Experienced and Recollected Pain.

Virtual reality (VR) distraction has become increasingly available in health care contexts and is used in acute pain management. However, there has been no systematic exploration of the importance of the of VR environments. Two studies tested how interacting with nature VR influenced experienced and recollected pain after 1 week.

Impact of stress on dentists' clinical performance. A systematic review.

Introduction: Dentistry is recognised as a stressful profession and dentists perceive their profession to be more stressful than other healthcare professions. While earlier studies have shown a link between stress and well-being among dentists, whether stress negatively impacts their clinical performance is an important and open question. We do know, however, that stress is associated with reduced performance in other health (and non-health) related professions.

Making progression and award decisions.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. It is incumbent on medical schools to show, both to regulatory bodies and to the public at large, that their graduating students are "fit for purpose" as doctors.

WITHDRAWN: Hypnosis for children undergoing dental treatment.

Background: Managing children is a challenge that many dentists face. Many non-pharmacological techniques have been developed to manage anxiety and behavioural problems in children, such us: 'tell, show & do', positive reinforcement, modelling and hypnosis. The use of hypnosis is generally an overlooked area, hence the need for this review.

WITHDRAWN: Occlusal interventions for periodontitis in adults.

Background: Occlusal interventions may be used in adults with periodontitis. At present there is little consensus regarding the indications and effectiveness of occlusal interventions in periodontal patients.

Objectives: To identify and analyse the evidence for the effect of occlusal interventions on adults who have periodontitis in relation to tooth loss, probing depths, clinical attachment level, adverse effects and patient-centred outcomes.

A Prospective, Observational Study to Assess the Use of Thermography to Predict Progression of Discolored Intact Skin to Necrosis Among Patients in Skilled Nursing Facilities.

Skin temperature may help prospectively determine whether an area of skin discoloration will evolve into necrosis. A prospective, observational study was conducted in 7 skilled nursing facilities to determine if skin temperature measured using infrared thermography could predict the progression of discolored intact skin (blanchable erythema, Stage 1 pressure ulcer, or sus- pected deep tissue injury [sDTI]) to necrosis and to evaluate if nurses could effectively integrate thermography into the clinical setting. Patients residing in or presenting to the facility between October 2014 and August 2015 with a pressure-related area of discolored skin determined to be blanchable erythema, a Stage 1 pressure ulcer, or sDTI and anticipated length of stay >6 days were assessed at initial presentation of the discolored area and after 7 and 14 days by facility nurses trained on camera operation and study protocol.

Preoperative analgesics for additional pain relief in children and adolescents having dental treatment.

Background: Fear of dental pain is a major barrier to treatment for children who need dental care. The use of preoperative analgesics has the potential to reduce postoperative discomfort and intraoperative pain. We reviewed the available evidence to determine whether further research is warranted and to inform the development of prescribing guidelines.

Exploring attitudes and knowledge of climate change and sustainability in a dental practice: A feasibility study into resource management.

Objective To understand the attitudes and behaviour of staff in dental practice towards adopting a reduce, reuse, recycle approach to resource management.Design A qualitative interview study.Setting The site for the study was a mixed NHS/private dental practice in North Devon.

The psychological cycle behind dental appointment attendance: a cross-sectional study of experiences, anticipations, and behavioral intentions.

Objectives: This study explored a promising theoretical model to explain dental patients' experiences and planning behavior for future appointments. The model predicts that patients pass through a 'psychological cycle' when undergoing a course of dental care: past appointment experiences influence their anticipations for future dental visits, which in turn affect behavioral intentions to attend appointments.

Methods: Variables representing the hypothesized model stages and other potentially relevant context variables (dental anxiety, subjective oral health ratings, general anxiety, stress) were assessed by means of a cross-sectional online survey (n = 311).

What's in a bin: A case study of dental clinical waste composition and potential greenhouse gas emission savings.

Background: Dental practices have a unique position as dental staff use a high number of dental materials and instruments on a daily basis. It is unclear how dentists' and dental care professionals' choices and behaviours around selecting and using materials impact on the amount of unnecessary waste production. Although there are a number of articles exploring the quality and quantity of waste in dental practices, there are no studies on organisational strategies to decrease unnecessary waste.

Treatment of periodontal disease for glycaemic control in people with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Glycaemic control is a key issue in the care of people with diabetes mellitus (DM). Periodontal disease is the inflammation and destruction of the underlying supporting tissues of the teeth. Some studies have suggested a bidirectional relationship between glycaemic control and periodontal disease.

Social anxiety in orthognathic patients.

There is evidence that patients seeking orthognathic treatment may be motivated by social anxiety disorder (SAD). The aim of this study was to investigate SAD in orthognathic patients using the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNES) and to compare these findings with those of the general population. This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire study conducted in two parts.

Identifying dentists' attitudes towards prevention guidance using Q-sort methodology.

Objective: To gain insight into the attitudes and motivating factors of dentists working in the English National Health Service (NHS) towards prevention guidance.

Design: Q-methodology: an established hybrid quantitative/qualitative technique used in the social sciences to categorise subjects based on their views by considering factors as part of their overall decision-making profile.

Setting: General Dental Practices offering care under an NHS contract.

Student perceptions of a spiral curriculum.

Aim: The aim of this study was evaluation of constructive alignment of student perceptions to a spiral curriculum, as a pre-requisite to successful learning.

Method: A survey was undertaken to evaluate student thoughts and experiences of a spiral curriculum, by participation in an anonymous voluntary questionnaire. Students were asked to rate their thoughts on their understanding, perceived benefit of and confusion with their spiral curriculum at the current time and retrospectively during previous years, and to answer free-text questions on the impact, effects on learning and future suggestions for their spiral curriculum.

Person-centred care in dentistry--the patients' perspective.

Objectives: To develop an understanding of the key features of person-centred care (PCC) in relation to general dental practice from a patient's perspective.

Background: PCC is acknowledged as an important dimension of quality with 'patient experience' increasingly used as a marker of quality within the NHS. A Dental Quality and Outcomes Framework (DQOF) is currently being piloted in the UK, which includes patient experience as one of the three domains.

The dental development in patients with Aperts syndrome.

Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to quantify the level of dental developmental delay in a group of patients with Aperts syndrome when compared to matched controls.

Methods: Twenty-six Dental Panoramic Tomographic (DPT) radiographs of patients with Apert syndrome attending Great Ormond Street Hospital were compared to controls (n = 29) from the Eastman Dental Hospital, UK. Dental development was assessed using the staging systems of Demirjian and Haavikko, and dental age (DA) was estimated using the weighted averages method.