Patient age and general dentists' treatment decisions

To test whether a patient's age plays a role in dentists' treatment planning decisions, a convenience sample of 159 general dentists attending a state dental society annual meeting was presented a vignette including intra-oral photographs, a brief case history and clinical diagnosis of a patient. The patient was partially dentate, and was described as having irreversible pulpitis of tooth #19. Three versions of the vignette were developed, with identical materials and information except for the patient's age (either 44, 65, or 84 years), and were randomly assigned to the participating dentists who were asked to develop a treatment plan for the patient's mandibular arch. The dentists planned limited therapy for the 84 year old because of their assumptions about the patient's brief life expectancy, cost, concern about the inability of the patient to tolerate extensive treatment, and a low cost/benefit ratio. These findings suggest that a patient's age influences general dentists' treatment planning decisions, perhaps limiting the treatment options offered to older adults. Additional research is necessary to further test these associations.