A Qualitative Study of Trends in Patient Preferences for the Management of the Partially Dentate State

Objective: To identify factors influencing attitudes of partially dentate adults towards dental treatment in Ireland.

Background: People are retaining more teeth later in life than ever before. Management of partially dentate older adults will be a major requirement for the future and it is important to determine factors which may influence patients' attitudes to care.

Methods:

Subjects: A purposive sample of 22 partially dentate patients was recruited; 12 women and 12 men, ranging in age from 45 to 75 years.

Data Collection: Semi-structured individual interviews.

Results: Dental patients have increasing expectations in relation to (i) a more sophisticated approach to the management of missing teeth and (ii) their right to actively participate in decision making regarding the management of their tooth loss. There is some evidence of a cohort effect with younger patients (45-64 years) having higher expectations.

Conclusions: The evidence of a cohort effect within this study in relation to higher patient expectations indicates that both contemporary and future patients are likely to seek a service based on conservation and restoration of missing teeth by fixed prostheses.