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Parent satisfaction with emergency dental treatment at a children's hospital
Donna J Quinby1, Barbara Sheller, Bryan J Williams
1Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash, USA. donna.quinby@seattlechildrens.org
Purpose:
This study evaluated parental satisfaction with emergency dental treatment.
Methods:
One hundred twenty-two parents of children requiring emergency extraction of 1 or more primary teeth completed a survey designed to test the effect of provider, treatment, and demographic variables on parental satisfaction.
Results:
Most parents (>80%) indicated satisfaction with the treatment provided. Parents were most satisfied with treatment during clinic hours, treatment provided by an attending pediatric dentist, and treatment provided by male dentists. Satisfaction was correlated with the clarity of the provider explanation. Explanations by male dentists were perceived most positively. Parents of children receiving molar extraction(s) were more satisfied than parents of children with incisor extraction(s). Satisfaction did not correlate with ethnicity of the parent or patient, parent education level, funding sources, or use of an immobilization device. Parents preferred sedation for behavior management of the emergency patient.
Conclusions:
To address the expectations and concerns of parents, dental professionals need to be attentive to the quality of dentist-parent communication and parental expectations during emergency services.
