Oral health care quality as viewed by leading dentists and their superiors - a qualitative study

The aim was to investigate how leading dentists and their superiors view oral health care quality, as they are in key positions to pursue high-quality care.

We interviewed five leading dentists and three of their superiors from Southern Finland via semi-structured telephone interviews including themes based on the Institute of Medicine's six quality dimensions. The material was analysed using theory-driven content analysis.

Participants divided safety into occupational, instrumental and patient safety and considered timeliness as timing treatment clinically correctly. They also linked timeliness to patient-centeredness with wider opening-hours and quick access to care. Effective care was considered as a prerequisite for efficiency. Participants saw effectiveness as treating the illness, not the number of treatment measures. Leading dentists took survival time of fillings and cost per operation as a measurement of efficiency, and the superiors measured efficiency by the number of treated patients or visits. The leading dentists considered the equal treatment of patients, whereas the superiors took the amount of care provided with public resources and co-workers into consideration.

The participants shared similar views of oral health care quality which should enable cooperation. Observed minor differences relate to professional background and leading positions.