Dentists Survey on Adverse Events During Their Clinical Training

Patient Safety and Perception of Quality in University Dental Hospitals: A French National Survey

OBJECTIVES

Patient safety is poorly developed in dentistry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of patient safety perception and quality culture in French university dental hospitals.

METHODS

A national survey was performed using a questionnaire that was sent electronically to dental students, teachers, senior professionals, and paramedics of the university dental clinics that volunteered to participate. The profile of the respondents, their involvement in quality teams, the occurrence of adverse events, and the organization of the department were explored.

RESULTS

Of the 17 university dental hospitals in France, 15 volunteered to participate, representing 681 respondents (65.9% students, 26.9% dentists, 3.7% paramedics, and 3.5% residents). Despite 58% of the respondents being aware of the procedure for declaring adverse events, only 28% of them had ever declared at least one. All professionals were aware of the high incidence of adverse events in their clinics. The perception of well-being and organization was low, especially for the items "adequation between tasks and number of professionals" and for "task organization." The perception of "team spirit and feeling of respect" was good.

CONCLUSIONS

The survey highlighted the need for courses and meetings on patient safety and quality, but also the good perception of dental care providers regarding patient safety. The lack of materials and of human resources emerged as a key point for improving patient safety in university dental hospitals. Nonetheless, communication was also perceived as very important and could be improved without incurring costs and through internal solutions.

Dentists' Perceptions of Their SARS-CoV-2 Risk and Infection Control Needs

Objective

Rapid worldwide dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 has prompted dental professionals to optimise their infection control procedures. To help identify areas of opportunity for protecting dentists and their patients, the aim of this investigation was to analyse Mexican dentists’ early perceptions of their risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and their need for comprehensive infection control education.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 9 to June 3, 2020, during the social distancing phase in Mexico. The survey adhered to relevant guidelines for ethical research design. The questionnaire was designed with Google Surveys and applied online in Spanish. The questionnaire included items on demographics and clinical specialisation. To obtain time-sensitive perceptions, statements were preceded by “While SARS-CoV-2 circulates in the community and new COVID-19 cases are reported”; responses were collected in a 5-point Likert-type scale.

Results

The survey's link received 1524 “clicks.” Over 25 days, 996 dentists participated (39% men; 89% working in Mexico and 11% in other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries). Most participants (73%) fully agreed that “Looking after patients will pose a risk for the dentist.” Total agreement was more common (P = .0001) amongst dentists in Mexico (76%) than amongst those in other countries (53%). Knowing someone with COVID-19 was more common amongst Mexican dentists (P = .0008). The perceived need for enhanced infection control procedures increased with age (P = .0001). Forty-nine percent totally agreed that they sterilise dental handpieces between patients. One-third expressed total agreement that everyone in their clinic was trained in infection control.

Conclusions

Amongst this nonprobabilistic self-selected sample of dentists, age and country of work influenced their perceptions about occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and infection control needs. This survey revealed areas of opportunity to improve infection control education and training for dental professionals.

Development of a Checklist to Prevent Reconstructive Errors Made By Undergraduate Dental Students

PURPOSE

To design a checklist in order to reduce the frequency of reconstructive preventable errors (PE) performed by undergraduate dental students at McGill University.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The most common PE occurring at a university dental clinic were identified by three reviewers analyzing the refunded cases, and used to create a preliminary checklist. This checklist was then validated by a panel of dental educators to produce a finalized 20-item checklist. The 20-question checklist was then submitted to students in a cross-sectional survey-based study to evaluate its relevance to undergraduate clinical education needs.

RESULTS

As many as 81% of students reported to have forgotten at least one item of the checklist during care of their last patient, and the most forgotten checklist items corresponded to the pretreatment stage. The students also reported that 17 of the 20 items in the checklist were relevant to a considerable extent or highly relevant.

CONCLUSION

Common PE identified in the undergraduate clinic could be used to create a checklist of relevant items designed to reduce errors made by students and practitioners performing prosthodontic and reconstructive treatments. However, further studies are required to evaluate the implementation and efficiency of the checklist.

Cross-transmission in the Dental Office: Does This Make You Ill?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Recently, numerous scientific publications were published which shed new light on the possible risks of infection for dental healthcare workers and their patients. This review aimed to provide the latest insights in the relative risks of transmission of (pathogenic) micro-organisms in the dental office.

RECENT FINDINGS

Of all different routes of micro-organism transmission during or immediately after dental treatment (via direct contact/via blood-blood contact/via dental unit water and aerosols), evidence of transmission is available. However, the recent results put the risks in perspective; infections related to the dental office are most likely when infection control measures are not followed meticulously.

SUMMARY

The risk for transmission of pathogens in a dental office resulting in an infectious disease is still unknown; it seems to be limited in developed countries but it cannot be considered negligible. Therefore, maintaining high standards of infection preventive measures is of high importance for dental healthcare workers to avoid infectious diseases due to cross-contamination.