Incorporating quality management into dental academics: a case report

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Dental education institutions face financial constraints.
• Accreditation bodies mandate outcomes assessment.
• Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) offers a framework for addressing these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key concepts of CQI.
• To present a case study of CQI implementation in a dental college.
• To evaluate the success of CQI in different aspects of dental education and patient care.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to identify CQI concepts.
• Case study analysis of CQI implementation at the Florida College of Dentistry.
• Qualitative assessment of CQI impact on various operational areas.

Main Results:

• CQI implementation was more effective in process-oriented areas like patient intake.
• Staff members responded more positively to CQI initiatives than faculty.
• Improvements in educational and dental quality aspects were less pronounced.

Conclusions:

• CQI can be a valuable tool for dental education, particularly for process optimization.
• Tailoring CQI strategies to faculty engagement is crucial for broader success.
• Further research is needed to enhance CQI's impact on clinical and educational quality in dentistry.