Key Points
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Reports that 15.5% of patients changed dentist between 2003 and 2005.
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Highlights that the proportion of patients changing dentist has increased steadily since 1993.
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Reviews factors influencing patients changing dentist, such as patient age, charge paying status, dentist age and gender.
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Explains that the patient's previous attendance pattern is also a factor when patients changing dentist.
Abstract
Aim
It is the aim of this paper to consider the factors associated with a patient's continuing attendance at a particular dentist's surgery.
Methods
A data set was established consisting of General Dental Services' (GDS) patients whose birthdays were included within a set of randomly selected dates, 20 in each possible year of birth. The data set was restricted to those patients aged 18 or older in 2003 who attended only one dentist in only one postcode area in 2003, and who also attended only one dentist in the same postcode area in 2005, and where the dentist attended in 2003 was also practising in the same postcode area in 2005. The patients were classified by age, gender and charge-paying status, and by whether they had attended a GDS dentist in 2002, and the dentists attended in 2003 were classified by age and gender. The proportion of patients changing dentists between 2003 and 2005 was calculated, together with standard error (se), for each combination of these factors. This was then replicated for each year from 1993–2002.
Results
Data for 323,382 patients were included in the analysis for 2003, these patients having not changed address during a two-year period, nor had their dentist changed location. The proportion of patients changing dentist over the period 2003 and 2005 was 15.5% (se 0.06 PCT). This has increased steadily since 1993, when the proportion was 12.4%.
Conclusions
Factors influencing whether a patient changes dentist include patient age and charge paying status, dentist age and gender, and the patient's previous attendance pattern.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support of the Economic and Social Data Service, the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the NHS Business Services Authority for collating and releasing this valuable data resource.
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Lucarotti, P., Burke, F. Factors influencing patients' continuing attendance at a given dentist. Br Dent J 218, E13 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2015.230
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2015.230
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