Quality of care: compared perceptions of patient and prosthodontist

The results suggest that, with the exception of retention, differences between patients' and prosthodontists' perceptions of treatment with complete dentures display greater variability with regard to function than to either esthetics or comfort. Although the literature has suggested that satisfying the esthetic concerns of the patient is likely to be a major hurdle in denture treatment success, this study suggests that occlusion, retention, and vertical dimension may be of more importance to effective communication. Misconceptions and unreal expectations should be dealt with early in the treatment program to avoid patient dissatisfaction. During the 1972 International Prosthodontic Workshop held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the statement was made that patients were generally an unreliable guide as to the adequacy of their dentures, especially after wearing them for a period of time, and that further research to document the patient's reliability seemed unnecessary. This study has demonstrated that patients are quite reliable judges of many criteria related to dentures, provided channels for two-way communication are opened. With the ever greater economic stresses that force dentists to consider patients' concerns, perhaps it is increasingly the dentist's responsibility to better educate patients to evaluate all aspects of the quality of care they receive and encourage extensive two-way communication early in the treatment process. The adjusted quality assessment criteria used in the present study may be a useful instrument to use with patients prior to the initial interview in an effort to establish a better dentist-patient relationship.