Dentists and dental technicians as competing suppliers of complete dentures in Southwest Finland

In Finland, not only dentists but also dental technicians with special training have the right to supply clients with complete dentures. The present study investigated how the demand for their services is distributed between these two professional groups, and what are the factors affecting the distribution. The material consisted of 220 randomly selected subjects who had lost all their teeth in one or both jaws. Of the full dentures worn, 50% had been made by a dentist and 41% by a dental technician, while in 10% one denture, either maxillary or mandibular, was made by a dentist and the other by a dental technician. 56% of the subjects said they would choose a dental technician the next time health center services become more general and patients are more able to get treatment by dentists at a reduced cost, it seems probable that the majority of the edentulous will again resort to the dentists. However, judging by the current attitudes, a considerable number of the edentulous will continue to resort directly to the dental technician for the supply of dentures.