Dental nurses on perceived gender differences in their dentist's communication and interaction style

It's not just about the money: recruitment and retention of clinical staff in general dental practice - part 2: dental care professionals

As described in the first paper of this two-part series, increasing difficulties in recruitment and retention of dentists and dental care professionals (DCPs) in general dental practice in the UK is affecting delivery of NHS dental services. There is a significant risk to the future dental workforce supply which will affect access to dental care and worsen oral health inequalities. Understanding what factors contribute to job satisfaction and prevent job dissatisfaction of dental professionals would be useful in managing recruitment and retention issues. The aim of this literature review was to identify factors which contribute to job satisfaction of DCPs in general dental practice. Database searching was conducted systematically through PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Ovid, and the National Grey Literature Collection. Eleven relevant articles were identified, which were qualitatively analysed using Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory as an analysis tool. Unfair remuneration is a major contributor to dissatisfaction of DCPs, but job satisfaction could be promoted through increased recognition, variety of work, and opportunities to progress. Dental contract reform in the UK should aim to minimise factors contributing to dissatisfaction and increase factors which increase satisfaction, including the development of an acceptable remuneration model for NHS dentistry that facilitates skill mix.

Are There Barriers for Professional Development of Women Dentists? A Qualitative Study in Saudi Arabia

Globally, there is an upward trend in the number of women applying to dental schools and entering the profession of dentistry. Women dentists aim to advance their careers; however, differences exist between men and women dentists regarding leadership positions and work titles. For example, in Saudi Arabia, women usually occupy lower ranked positions than men in the Saudi public sector, and they are, therefore, paid less than their male counterparts. This study aimed to explore the possible barriers to Saudi women dentists' professional advancement using a qualitative descriptive study design. Specifically, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 women practicing dentistry in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the data were interpreted using qualitative content analysis (NVivo 11; QRS International). The results revealed 4 challenges that might delay the participants' career development. These include family-related challenges, sociocultural challenges, workplace challenges, and transportation issues. From this perspective, some perceived barriers to the professional development of women dentists were found that might not be unique to Saudi Arabia, and the article's suggestions and recommendations aim to minimize the effects of these barriers impeding women's advancement in dentistry in Saudi Arabia. Knowledge Transfer Statement: This study makes an important contribution to knowledge on this topic. These results will aid policy makers' efforts to create supportive work environments through gender-specific incentives that meet the current professional and family needs of women dentists, particularly those in Saudi Arabia.

Measurement of social support, community and trust in dentistry

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Relationships among people at work have previously been found to contribute to the perception of having a good work. The aim of the present paper was to develop scales measuring aspects of social support, trust, and community among dentists, and to evaluate psychometric properties of the scales.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In 2008, a questionnaire was sent to 1,835 general dental practitioners randomly selected from the dental associations in Sweden and Denmark. The response rate was 68% after two reminders. Principal Component Analysis was applied to 14 items and scales were established based on the resulting factors. Internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) with respect to gender, nationality and employment sector was analysed using ordinal logistic regression methods. Construct validity was assessed in relation to self-rated health and a range of work satisfaction outcomes.

RESULTS

The percentage of missing values on the items was low (range 0.7%-3.8%). Two scales (range 0-100) were established to measure 'Community with Trust'(nine items, mean = 79.2 [SD = 13.4], Cronbach's alpha = 0.89) and 'Collegial Support'(five items, mean = 70.4 [SD = 20.8], Cronbach's alpha = 0.89). DIF of only minor importance was found which supported cultural equivalence. The two scales were weakly positively correlated with each other. 'Community with Trust' was in general more strongly correlated with work satisfaction variables than 'Collegial Support' was.

CONCLUSIONS

Stability and internal consistency of the scales were considered as satisfactory. Content validity and construct validity were considered as good. Further validation in other populations is recommended.

Dental students interacting with dental nurses: an investigation of the role of gender and ethnicity in inter-professional communication and working styles

AIM

To examine the influence of dental students' gender and ethnicity on their perceptions of dental nurses' duties and upon their communication and working styles when interacting with dental nurses (DNs).

METHOD

A survey of clinical dental students attending Queen's University Belfast and University of Leeds. Students were invited to complete the 34 item Communication and Working Styles Questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the students' perceptions of the duties of a DN and the students' communication and working styles. Factor analysis revealed two communication and working styles which were friendly and difficult styles, respectively.

RESULTS

Two hundred and forty-eight students participated giving a response rate of 88%: 58% were female and 30% of students from Leeds were from various ethnic minority groups. The students' perceptions as to the duties of a DN were affected by university attended and ethnicity. The majority of students used friendly communication styles. The type of style used was determined by university attended, gender and ethnicity. Male students had higher mean scores for friendly working styles whereas students from minority ethnic groups had higher mean scores for gender-related communication style. Female students and students from minority ethnic groups had higher mean scores for items relating to teamwork.

CONCLUSIONS

This survey illustrates the different communication and working styles used by male and female and dental students from different ethnic backgrounds when interacting and working with DNs.