Attitudes of Victorian dentists to removable partial denture prosthodontics: treatment planning

A survey of the attitudes of dentists in Victoria to various aspects of the treatment planning phase of removable partial denture prosthodontics was undertaken. Data were analysed and compared with those obtained from an identical study in South Australia. Those Victorian dentists who graduated in the 1960s, those who worked in multiple-practitioner practices, or non-rural areas, and those who had an added interest in removable prosthodontics were more likely to stress the importance of a greater number of attributes than those who graduated in the 1950s or 1970s, or those who worked alone, in rural areas, or had no particular interest in the discipline. Results indicated also that Victorian dentists tended to place greater emphasis on many of the concepts embraced by the questions asked than their interstate colleagues. It is suggested that, in addition to formal education, intraprofessional relationships and interest in a discipline are factors which might influence the concepts and attitudes of general practitioners.