Patients' Perceptions of Dehumanization of Patients in Dental School Settings: Implications for Clinic Management and Curriculum Planning.

Although the importance of empathy, rapport, and anxiety/pain awareness in dentist-patient relations has been well documented, these factors continue to be an issue with patients in many dental school clinics. The aim of this study was to develop an in-depth understanding of how patients at an urban, university-affiliated medical center and its dental school's clinic experienced oral health care and to generate ideas for improving the dental school's clinical curriculum and management of the clinic. Although patient satisfaction surveys are common, in-depth patient narratives are an underutilized resource for improving dental education.