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Objective: The study aimed to analyse the usefulness of signalling waiting times to citizens on the websites of public primary oral healthcare providers in Finland. Finnish laws require this signalling. Material and methods: We gathered data with two cross-sectional surveys in 2021. One electronic questionnaire was for Finnish-speaking citizens in Southwest Finland. The other was for public primary oral healthcare managers (n = 159). We also gathered data on 15 public primary oral healthcare providers' websites. For the theoretical framework, we combined the agency and signalling theories. Results: Of the citizen respondents (n = 411), 57% knew about the waiting time signalling on the websites. The respondents considered waiting time a high-priority criterion in choosing a dentist, but they rarely searched for information anywhere on the choice of a dentist, wanting to visit the dentist they had earlier visited. The quality of signalled waiting times was low. One out of five managers (response rate 62%) answered that signalled waiting times were based on speculation. Conclusions: Waiting times were signalled to comply with the legislation rather than to inform citizens and to reduce information asymmetry. Further research is needed to acquire information on rethinking waiting time signalling and its desired goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population in many countries is becoming more diverse. The number of people from foreign backgrounds is growing in Finland as well. The aim of this study was to better understand how the foreign background of a patient affects the dentist's work. The research was carried out as a semi-structured interview. Six dentists from Helsinki municipality public dental care were interviewed between December 2019 and January 2020. After the interviews were transcribed verbatim, two members of the research group read individually the interviews to find emerging themes. The most common problems that arose in the interviews were problems within communication and interpretation. Periodontal diseases and the importance of self-care in treating them were observed to be unfamiliar to many foreign-background patients. The dentists also noticed different expressions of pain among foreign-background patients compared with native Finnish patients. The interviewed dentists thought that the length of time a patient had lived in Finland affected the experienced difficulties and the prejudice that the patients and dentists faced. In this qualitative research, we were able to identify some of the common difficulties that the dentists experience while treating patients from foreign backgrounds, despite the small number of participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to assess the experiences, attitudes and knowledge of child abuse and neglect (CAN) among dentists, dental hygienists and dental nurses in Finland., Material and Methods: A web-based CAN survey was sent to 8500 Finnish dental professionals, covering demographic characteristics, dental education, suspicion of CAN, actions taken and reasons for inaction as well as training on CAN issues. The chi-squared (χ 2 ) test was used to analyse associations., Results: In total, 1586 questionnaires with valid data were completed. Among respondents, 25.8% had received at least some undergraduate training and 36.3% had received postgraduate training on child maltreatment issues. In addition, 43% of respondents had at least one suspicion of CAN at some point during their career. Of those, 64.3% did not refer to social services. Training positively associated with the identification of CAN and referral frequencies. Uncertainty about an observation (80.1%) and a lack of knowledge regarding procedures (43.9%) were the most frequently reported barriers., Conclusions: Finnish dental professionals need more education on child abuse and neglect issues. Competence related to CAN is fundamental to their skills given that all dental professionals regularly work with children and are obligated to report their concerns to proper authorities.

Objective: The aim was to investigate how leading dentists and their superiors view oral health care quality, as they are in key positions to pursue high-quality care., Materials and Methods: We interviewed five leading dentists and three of their superiors from Southern Finland via semi-structured telephone interviews including themes based on the Institute of Medicine's six quality dimensions. The material was analysed using theory-driven content analysis., Results: Participants divided safety into occupational, instrumental and patient safety and considered timeliness as timing treatment clinically correctly. They also linked timeliness to patient-centeredness with wider opening-hours and quick access to care. Effective care was considered as a prerequisite for efficiency. Participants saw effectiveness as treating the illness, not the number of treatment measures. Leading dentists took survival time of fillings and cost per operation as a measurement of efficiency, and the superiors measured efficiency by the number of treated patients or visits. The leading dentists considered the equal treatment of patients, whereas the superiors took the amount of care provided with public resources and co-workers into consideration., Conclusions: The participants shared similar views of oral health care quality which should enable cooperation. Observed minor differences relate to professional background and leading positions.

Objectives: To investigate Finnish dentists' knowledge on and means of recording, detecting and diagnosing erosive tooth wear (ETW). Treatment options and possible differences in treatment decisions between general and specialized dentists were also evaluated., Materials and Methods: An electronic questionnaire was sent by e-mail to 3664 Finnish dentists. Respondents' gender, age, work experience, field of specialty, and practice location were requested. The questionnaire also included a patient case where the dentists were asked about their choice of treatment. Statistical analyses were performed using means, proportions, and cross tabulations., Results: Response rate was 24% ( n  = 866). Almost all respondents (98.0%) recorded ETW in patient files, but only 4.1% used a detailed scoring system. Of the respondents, 64.4% usually found the cause of ETW. Use of carbonated beverages (84.3%), energy drinks (57.0%), and reflux disease (53.1%) were reported to be probable causes. The majority of the respondents (80.9%) usually assessed patient's dietary history while 1.9% evaluated saliva secretion rate. When asked about treatment decisions of ETW patients, the differences between general dentists and specialized dentists were not as obvious as hypothesized., Conclusions: This study suggests that the Finnish dentists who participated in this survey are able to detect and/or diagnose erosive tooth wear, but there is variation in recording it. The differences in treatment decisions between general dentists and specialized dentists seem to be moderate. The treatment practices for ETW are not established and further research to create clinical guidelines seems to be needed.