Dentist-Patient Relationship Overview

Dentist-Patient Relationship

• A good dentist-patient relationship is important for both the patient and the dentist
• For the patient, this leads to:
  • Reduced dental fear and anxiety
  • More accurate assessment of dental disease
  • Efficient patient education and behavioral motivation
  • Better treatment compliance
  • Better treatment outcomes
• For the dentist, this leads to:
  • Fewer conflicts with patients
  • Less professional stress
  • More professional rewards (good reputation, patient retention, patient respect, job satisfaction)

Models of Dentist-Patient Relationship

• Active-Passive:

  • The oldest model
  • The dentist is active, the patient is passive
  • The dentist makes decisions about treatment
  • The patient is unable to participate in care
  • Still used in modern dentistry for emergencies when a patient is unconscious or a delay in treatment can cause irreversible harm

• Guidance-Cooperative:

  • The dentist has more power due to medical knowledge
  • The patient answers questions and follows directions
  • The dentist decides what is best for the patient and recommends treatment

• Mutual Participation:

  • Both the dentist and the patient have equal power
  • Involves shared responsibility and problem-solving
  • Patients retain the right to decide on their treatment
  • Increasing support for this model in recent decades when medically feasible.

Components of Dentist-Patient Relationship

• Trust and honesty: Crucial for building a strong relationship
• Reputation: A positive reputation builds trust
• Experience: Demonstrating expertise and experience builds trust
• Communication: Effective communication is essential
• Listening: Active listening builds trust and understanding
• Confidentiality: Protecting patient information is vital

Basic Relationship Skills

• Non-verbal skills:
  • Eye contact
  • Body posture and movements
  • Space between dentist and patient
  • Paralanguage (voice tone, rate of speech)
• Empathy:
  • Understanding, appreciation, and acceptance of someone else's emotional situation
  • Responding to patients' emotions
  • Demonstrated through reflection ("You seem upset") and legitimation ("This must be hard").
• Support: Letting patients know you are there to help
• Respect: Attentive listening, non-verbal signals showing concern; avoid judgment. Implicit and explicit communication of respect.