Scoping Review of the Role of Shared Decision Making in Dental Implant Consultations

To what extent does dental research on implant consultations focus on the use of shared decision making? There has been an explosion in the use of implant therapies in dentistry, but very little is known about the decision-making processes involved in the provision of dental implants. The use of shared decision making (SDM) has been found to reduce undesirable outcomes and increase patient and clinician satisfaction in other health care fields. This scoping review reports on the current status of SDM in research on implant therapies. A scoping review methodology was used. Web of Knowledge, MEDLINE via OvidSP, MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, DARE, and CINAHL databases were reviewed between 1900 and December 1, 2017. The search strategy resulted in 2,289 eligible articles; 1,892 duplicated articles were deleted, resulting in a hand search of 397 titles and abstracts. These were subsequently evaluated while applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in 48 articles for full-text evaluation. After full-text evaluation of these 48 studies, a further 27 were eliminated as not being relevant, leading to the inclusion of 21 studies for the review. No studies to date have examined how patients and dentists engage in decisions to place dental implants. Aspects that were discussed in the literature related to the decision-making process included a discussion about patients' values and discussing possible treatment options. How patients and dentists interacted during implant consultations was poorly explored. Shared decision making has been shown to improve health care quality and increase clinician and patient satisfaction. Further research concerning dental implant decisions is warranted with emphasis on evaluating patients' contributions to treatment, which is currently poorly understood. Exploring existed methods for examining the SDM process in implant consultations should facilitate improve care and consent. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The findings of this scoping review can be used by all dentists when deciding which decision-making model they wish to use when planning implant therapy. The article places special emphasis on the role of shared decision making in improving health care quality and increasing patients' and clinicians' satisfaction.