Demographics, Practising Arrangements, and Standards: Survey Among New Zealand Dentists

Overview

Journal Int J Dent

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Dentistry

Date 2018 Dec 25

PMID 30581468

Citations 4

Authors

Robert James Lee

Jithendra Ratnayake

Arthi Veerasamy

Carolina Loch

Peter Cathro

Paul A Brunton

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: To determine the demographic profile and practising arrangements of general dentists in New Zealand.

Methods: A questionnaire comprising 19 sections with 125 questions was distributed via mail to 351 general dentists in New Zealand who were selected, at random, from the Dental Council of New Zealand's 2016 register.

Results: Two hundred and four questionnaires were returned, of which 188 were usable giving a response rate of 53.5%. The majority of the respondents (63.5%) were male and practice principals (56.8%). Fifty-nine percent of the practices were located in city or town centres with a wide geographic distribution. Sole practitioners accounted for 24.1% of respondents, with the mean number of dentists per practice being 3.2. The majority of respondents (71.6%) attended five or more continuing professional development courses in the past year. Ninety-one percent of respondents used a computerized management system, and 95.3% used the Internet. The use of nickel-titanium endodontic files (83.9%) and digital imaging (82.2%) was the most frequently cited clinical innovations. Articaine was the most popular local anaesthetic of choice.

Conclusions: Dentistry is an ever-changing profession, with evidence that NZ dentists continue to develop, learn, and embrace advancements in technologies to supply high-quality evidence-based treatment.

Citing Articles

Nursing Students' Perspectives Toward Providing Oral Health Care for Older People.

Veerasamy A, Lyons K, Crabtree I, Ratnayake J, Brunton P Int J Dent. 2025; 2025:5545284.

PMID: 39949562 PMC: 11825199. DOI: 10.1155/ijod/5545284.

Comparison of Efficacy of Lidocaine and Articaine as Inferior Alveolar Nerve Blocking Agents in Patients with Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Hassan S, Ahmed A, Saqib W, Abulhamael A, Habib S, Javed M Medicina (Kaunas). 2023; 59(10).

PMID: 37893558 PMC: 10608202. DOI: 10.3390/medicina59101840.

Innovation by Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing Technology: A Look at Infection Prevention in Dental Settings.

Barenghi L, Barenghi A, Cadeo C, Di Blasio A Biomed Res Int. 2019; 2019:6092018.

PMID: 31467901 PMC: 6699473. DOI: 10.1155/2019/6092018.

Direct Restorations, Endodontics, and Bleaching: Materials and Techniques Used by General Dentists of New Zealand.

Loch C, Ratnayake J, Veerasamy A, Cathro P, Lee R, Brunton P Int J Dent. 2019; 2019:6327171.

PMID: 30984263 PMC: 6431498. DOI: 10.1155/2019/6327171.

Indirect Restorations and Fixed Prosthodontics: Materials and Techniques Used by General Dentists of New Zealand.

Brunton P, Ratnayake J, Loch C, Veerasamy A, Cathro P, Lee R Int J Dent. 2019; 2019:5210162.

PMID: 30733804 PMC: 6348825. DOI: 10.1155/2019/5210162.

References

Brunton P, Sharif M, Creanor S, Burke F, Wilson N . Contemporary dental practice in the UK in 2008: indirect restorations and fixed prosthodontics. Br Dent J. 2012; 212(3):115-9. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.92. View

Mercer P, Bailey H, Cook P . Perceptions, attitudes and opinions of general dental practitioners and dental nurses to the provision of lifelong learning for the dental team. Br Dent J. 2007; 202(12):747-53. DOI: 10.1038/bdj.2007.540. View

Sinclair N, Thomson W . Prevalence of self-reported hand dermatoses in New Zealand dentists. N Z Dent J. 2004; 100(2):38-41. View

Hopcraft M, Manton D, Chong P, Ko G, Ong P, Sribalachandran S . Participation in continuing professional development by dental practitioners in Victoria, Australia in 2007. Eur J Dent Educ. 2010; 14(4):227-34. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0579.2010.00615.x. View

Burke F, Wilson N, Christensen G, Cheung S, Brunton P . Contemporary dental practice in the UK: demographic data and practising arrangements. Br Dent J. 2005; 198(1):39-43. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.4811956. View

Daly C . Antibiotic prophylaxis for dental procedures. Aust Prescr. 2017; 40(5):184-188. PMC: 5662431. DOI: 10.18773/austprescr.2017.054. View

Brennan D, Luzzi L, Roberts-Thomson K . Dental service patterns among private and public adult patients in Australia. BMC Health Serv Res. 2008; 8:1. PMC: 2246120. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-8-1. View

Foster Page L, Thomson W . Caries prevalence, severity, and 3-year increment, and their impact upon New Zealand adolescents' oral-health-related quality of life. J Public Health Dent. 2012; 72(4):287-94. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2012.00336.x. View

Burke F, Wilson N, Brunton P, Creanor S . Contemporary dental practice in the UK. Part 1: demography and practising arrangements in 2015. Br Dent J. 2019; 226(1):55-61. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2019.9. View

10.

Brennan D, Spencer A . Trends in service provision among Australian private general dental practitioners over a 20-year period. Int Dent J. 2006; 56(4):215-23. DOI: 10.1111/j.1875-595x.2006.tb00097.x. View

11.

Oakley M, Spallek H . Social media in dental education: a call for research and action. J Dent Educ. 2012; 76(3):279-87. PMC: 3629920. View

12.

Gavala S, Donta C, Tsiklakis K, Boziari A, Kamenopoulou V, Stamatakis H . Radiation dose reduction in direct digital panoramic radiography. Eur J Radiol. 2008; 71(1):42-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2008.03.018. View

13.

Brandt R, Anderson P, McDonald N, Sohn W, Peters M . The pulpal anesthetic efficacy of articaine versus lidocaine in dentistry: a meta-analysis. J Am Dent Assoc. 2011; 142(5):493-504. DOI: 10.14219/jada.archive.2011.0219. View

14.

Fox J, Jones J . Occupational stress in dental practice. Br Dent J. 1967; 123(10):465-73. View

15.

Brunton P, Burke F, Sharif M, Creanor S, Hosey M, Mannocci F . Contemporary dental practice in the UK in 2008: aspects of direct restorations, endodontics and bleaching. Br Dent J. 2012; 212(2):63-7. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.46. View

16.

Leggat P, Smith D . Prevalence of hand dermatoses related to latex exposure amongst dentists in Queensland, Australia. Int Dent J. 2006; 56(3):154-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1875-595x.2006.tb00088.x. View

17.

Whelton H . Overview of the impact of changing global patterns of dental caries experience on caries clinical trials. J Dent Res. 2004; 83 Spec No C:C29-34. DOI: 10.1177/154405910408301s06. View

18.

Shanley D, Dowling P, Claffey N, Nattestad A . European convergence towards higher standards in dental education: the DentEd Thematic Network Project. Med Educ. 2002; 36(2):186-92. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01125.x. View

19.

Corah N, Gale E, Illig S . The use of relaxation and distraction to reduce psychological stress during dental procedures. J Am Dent Assoc. 1979; 98(3):390-4. DOI: 10.14219/jada.archive.1979.0049. View

20.

Brunton P, Burke T, Sharif M, Muirhead E, Creanor S, Wilson N . Contemporary dental practice in the UK: demographic details and practising arrangements in 2008. Br Dent J. 2012; 212(1):11-5. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2011.1098. View