ArticlePloS one2020
What influences the clinical decision-making of dentists? A cross-sectional study.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Impact of professional experience and practice setting on clinical decision-making and anxiety in peri-implantitis management: a cross-sectional survey study.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Dentists' Knowledge and Clinical Preferences Regarding Evidence-Based Restorative Material Selection in Türkiye: Implications for Clinical Practice and Healthcare Policy.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Influence of patient demographics and socio-economic status on treatment choices for permanent mature teeth with painful vital teeth: a pilot study in the Australian public dental system.Australian dental journal · 2025Article
- Factors influencing treatment decisions in permanent mature teeth with irreversible pulpitis: a questionnaire-based study.Australian dental journal · 2024Article
- General dentists' treatment plans in response to cosmetic complains; a field study using unannounced-standardized-patient.Heliyon · 2024Article
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- Article
- The referral pattern and treatment modality for peri-implant disease between periodontists and non-periodontist dentists.BMC oral health · 2023Article
- A perspective: Regeneration of soft and hard tissues in the oral cavity, from research to clinical practice.Frontiers in dental medicine · 2023Article
- General Dentists' Perceptions About Their Relationship With Specialists.International dental journal · 2022Article
- Do non-clinical subjective factors influence the treatment decisionmaking of Brazilian dentists?Acta odontologica latinoamericana : AOL · 2022Article
- What non-clinical factors influence the general dentist-specialist relationship in Canada?BMC oral health · 2021Article
- How effective and cost-effective is water fluoridation for adults? Protocol for a 10-year retrospective cohort study.BDJ open · 2021Article
- Correction: What influences the clinical decision-making of dentists? A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2021Article
- German Dentists' Preferences for the Treatment of Apical Periodontitis: A Cross-Sectional Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Clinical decision-making is a complex process influenced by clinical and non-clinical factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between provider, patient, and practice factors with clinical decision-making among dentists in Ontario, Canada's most populated province and its largest dental care market. This was a cross-sectional, self-administered survey of a random sample of general dentists in Ontario (n = 3,201). The 46-item survey collected demographic, professional, and practice information. The outcome (treatment intensity) was measured using a set of clinical scenarios, which categorized dentists as either relatively aggressive or conservative in their treatment decisions. Associations were assessed using bivariate analysis and logistic regressions. One thousand and seventy-five dentists responded (33.6% response rate). Age (p = 0.001), place of initial training (p<0.001), number of dependents (p = 0.001), number of hygienists employed (p = 0.001), and perceptions of practice loans (p = 0.020) were associated with treatment intensity. Dentists who were <40-years old (OR = 2.06, 95% CI:1.39-3.06, p<0.001), American-trained (OR = 2.48, 95% CI:1.51-4.06, p<0.001), and perceived their practice loans as large (OR = 1.57, 95% CI:1.02-2.42, p = 0.039), were relatively more aggressive in their treatment decisions. Various non-clinical factors appear to influence the clinical decision-making of dentists in Ontario.
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