Practice profile time survey and government policy

Area of Science:

• Dental Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Assessing oral health manpower requirements is crucial for effective healthcare planning.
• The FDI/WHO JWG 9 developed a practice profile time survey for this purpose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess oral health manpower needs in Hong Kong using a practice profile time survey.
• To evaluate the utility of the survey protocol for national dental associations and policy formulation.

Main Methods:

• The Hong Kong Dental Association, in collaboration with the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, administered a practice profile time survey.
• The survey was developed by the FDI/WHO JWG 9.

Main Results:

• The survey highlighted specific characteristics of private dental practices in Hong Kong.
• These features reflected the unique needs and demands of the local population.

Conclusions:

• The practice profile time survey protocol is reliable for data collection.
• The protocol can support oral health service monitoring and government policy development by national associations.