A qualitative investigation of factors governing dentists' treatment philosophies

The day to day decisions made by general dental practitioners have a significant influence on the oral health of the population, and yet are often poorly understood. This paper describes a qualitative study which sought to identify issues, other than the extent of pathology, which impinge upon dentists' restorative treatment decision making. It also aimed to develop a classification of these issues. Content analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 randomly selected general dental practitioners delineated 10 broad areas of concern. While each of these topics may influence a treatment decision to a greater or lesser degree, the issues relating to treatment planning can be divided into a classification which involves patient, profession and practitioner characteristics. This study indicates that an understanding of disease processes and of available treatment options is an insufficient basis for treatment decision making, as many considerations outside these straightforward concepts of health are brought to bear on decisions made within the dental surgery.