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Evidence‐practice gap for in‐office fluoride application in a dental practice‐based research network
Author(s) -
Yokoyama Yoko,
Kakudate Naoki,
Sumida Futoshi,
Matsumoto Yuki,
Gilbert Gregg H.,
Gordan Valeria V.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/jphd.12114
Subject(s) - medicine , logistic regression , family medicine , dentistry , cross sectional study , dental practice , pathology
Objective The aims of this study were to examine dentists' recommendations for in‐office fluoride to patients and identify dentists' characteristics associated with these recommendations. Study Design and Setting The study was conducted using a cross‐sectional questionnaire survey in J apan. The survey queried dentists ( n = 282) in outpatient dental practices affiliated with the Dental Practice‐based R esearch N etwork J apan ( JDPBRN ). This network aims to assist dentists in investigating research questions and sharing their experience and expertise. Results The responses were obtained by 189 dentists (67 percent). Among valid response, 54 percent of dentists ( n = 98) recommend in‐office fluoride to more than 50 percent of their patients aged 6‐18 years and 15 percent ( n = 29) recommended this care to more than 50 percent of their patients aged over 18 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that factors associated with the percentage of patients who are recommended in‐office fluoride included patient's interest in caries prevention and dentist's belief in the effectiveness of caries risk assessment. Conclusions Dentist practice patterns for recommending in‐office fluoride vary widely. Recommendation was significantly related to having a higher percentage of patients interested in caries prevention and to the dentist's belief about the effectiveness of caries risk assessment. ( Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT 01680848).