Communication Skills for Dental Health Care Providers by Lance Brendan Young Cynthia Rozek O’Toole Bianca Wolf

Author:Lance Brendan Young, Cynthia Rozek O’Toole, Bianca Wolf
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: International Quintessence Publishing Group
Published: 2015-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Patient anxiety

Even if patient trust is unrelated to provider dress, what providers wear may be related to other patient responses. The anxiety level of some patients may be affected by the attire of dental providers. 4 A 2007 study of British patients found that they prefer that dentists dress more formally and wear white laboratory coats or tunics. 43 A majority also endorsed the wearing of safety glasses and face masks, which older American patients may remember as once being optional. Shulman and Brehm 44 found that a majority of American patients have similar preferences and also strongly prefer the use of plastic barriers for infection control. Such obvious infection-control measures likely reduce patient anxiety.

Both studies 43,44 also reported that patients prefer that providers wear name tags. All patients—and especially anxious patients—are processing unfamiliar information during a dental visit, and they may easily forget the names of various providers. Name tags fix this problem.

Name tags might also clarify the jobs of different providers. Clarifying the various jobs of individuals on the dental team is important to patients and may alleviate anxiety. Years ago, nearly all dentists were male and nearly all hygienists were female, so patients knew who did what. Fortunately, gender no longer determines job assignment, but patients therefore need help knowing who is who. A 2010 study found that 67% of patients prefer that dentists wear white coats, and 63% of those with that preference believe that the coat aids in identification of the dentist. 45 The researchers found, however, that the preference for a white coat is much more prevalent in older patients than in younger ones.

As patient cohorts age in coming decades, preferences for dress may change. Dental professionals should continually assess issues of patient satisfaction in their practice, including perceptions of professional attire, and exceed in formality the preferences of a majority of patients. The reason is simple: Patients with lower expectations are unlikely to be offended by more formal dress, but those with higher expectations are more likely to be offended by casual dress. Some patients may also attach infection-control significance to the white coat (or any other protective clinic gown), so the coat must be kept clean. One study found that 15.7% of coats worn by dentists were dirty, and a dirty coat does nothing to alleviate patient anxiety. 46 The use of disposable clinic coats is becoming an increasingly used substitute for the white coat and facilitates the usage of clean clinic apparel.

What hygienists and dental assistants should wear is less clear. A study of patients’ first impressions of nurses indicates that patients prefer the white pant uniform with stethoscope—a uniform that simultaneously reinforces clinical competency while distinguishing the nurse from the physician. 47 We recommend that hygienists wear scrubs to likewise project an image of competency while avoiding patient confusion about their role. Hurley-Trailor, 48 however, disagrees about distinguishing dental roles through dress. She recommends a dental office dress code in which everyone wears scrubs or everyone wears coats. To project

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