General Dentists' Perceptions About Their Relationship With Specialists

Abstract

Introduction: This paper assesses the nature of the general dentist-specialist relationship, as perceived by general dentists in Canada.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to general dentists across Canada who are part of the Canadian Dental Association register and who have consented to receiving email surveys (N ≈ 11,300). Information including sociodemographic and practitioner- and practice-related factors was collected using a 47-item questionnaire. The general dentist-specialist relationship was conceptualised on the basis of 4 factors: communication, confidence, competition, and referrals. Descriptive analysis was conducted.

Results: The response rate for the survey was 11.7% (n = 1328). Most general dentists specified that specialists sent timely information/reports (93%), were partners in delivering care (64%), presented little competitive pressure (87%), and were strongly collegial (85%).

Conclusions: In general, the study demonstrated that Canadian general dentists held a positive perception of their relationship with the specialists.

Keywords: Dental specialties; Dental/practice patterns; Dentistry; General practice.