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What do patients think about dental services in Quebec? Analysis of a dentist rating website.

BACKGROUND
Disparity exists between the public view of the "ideal" dentist and patient experiences of dental practice: dentists are expected to be altruistic and patient-centred, yet patient surveys suggest that the profession is overly motivated by profit.


OBJECTIVE
To determine how the public views dental care in Quebec.


METHODS
A random sample of comments about Quebec dentists made in 2011 was extracted from the public website RateMDs.com. Dentist characteristics and patient comments were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative deductive and inductive thematic analysis.


RESULTS
Eighty-six entries from a random sample of 47 of a possible 750 dentists were extracted and analyzed. Most dentists were men (66%) and worked in Montreal (51%). Patient comments were mainly positive (83%). Themes included overall impressions, communication and care, clinical competence, professionalism and office environment. Positive comments focused on patient-centred communication, in which the patient felt respected and involved in treatment planning; competence, seen as comprehensive, efficient and long-lasting treatment; and professionalism, which included ethical behaviour such as knowing professional limits. Negative comments focused on reticent communication styles that did not encourage patient input; incompetence, which included poor pain management and unnecessary treatment; and unprofessional conduct, such as lack of transparency in pricing.


CONCLUSION
In contrast with the negative image of dentists reported from patient surveys, comments on one public website were primarily positive. Our findings reinforce the importance of patient-centred education and communication training for students and continuing education.