Cooperation and competition between dentists and denturists in Finland

The aim of this study was to investigate cooperation between dentists and denturists in Finland, particularly in relation to perceived competition between the two professions. From a representative sample of 350 private dentists and 253 denturists, 68% returned acceptably filled-in questionnaires dealing with competition and cooperation with other healthcare professionals. Dentists referred their patients significantly (P < 0.001) less often to denturists (26.2%) than denturists did to dentists (94.1%). Those who referred their patients to members of the other profession also received patients from the other profession significantly (P< 0.001) more often than those who did not (60.7% vs 16.7% among dentists; 90.0% vs 44.4% among denturists). Denturists saw themselves as competing with dentists (56.0%) significantly (P< 0.001) more often than dentists did with denturists (29.2%). Dentists practicing in small towns or rural areas cooperated more often with denturists than did those practicing in more urban areas. Among denturists, the likelihood of referring patients to dentists was associated with younger age and fewer clinical working hours. It was concluded that cooperation between dentists and denturists was common. Oral healthcare professionals who referred their patients to the other profession also benefited by receiving more patients on referral from them. Dental services provided by denturists are limited, which may explain their greater willingness to cooperate with dentists.