Opinions of Maryland Adults Regarding Communication Practices of Dentists and Staff

Communication practices of dental care providers are especially important to provider-patient and provider-caregiver communication because most patients report that they obtain oral health information from their dentist. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of English-speaking Maryland adults who had a child 6 years and younger in the home about the communication practices of their dentists and staff. Five questions from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey were included in a random digit dial telephone survey administered in March and April 2010. A total of 803 surveys were completed with adults 18-65 years of age who had a child in their home 6 years of age and younger. Land and cell phones were used. The analysis included frequencies, percentages, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression. The response rate was 24%. Overall, those with higher levels of education and women were more likely to respond favorably about the communication practices of their dentist and staff. Respondents whose child was insured with Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) were less likely to respond favorably. Medicaid/SCHIP recipients are the individuals with the greatest dental disease and in need of preventive information and regimens for themselves and for their children. Spending time with patients and providing them with accurate information in a manner that patients feel respected and listened to contributes to the patient's ability to understand and act upon this information. Thus, these communication practices are pivotal to increasing oral health literacy and decreasing dental disparities.