ArticleJDR clinical and translational research2026
Quality Improvement in General Dental Practice: Situational Analysis for the United Kingdom and Germany.
Article in JDR clinical and translational research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Reconsidering how we define quality: insights from the co-development of an actionable definition of oral healthcare quality,mntion.Health research policy and systems · 2026Article
- Structural Accountability and Practice-Level Governance as Dual Pathways to Accreditation-Seeking Intention in Private Dental Practice: Evidence from a Mixed Public-Private Healthcare System.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionQuality improvement (QI) is important in ensuring standards in oral health care. Despite the growing literature on quality indicators, audit, and feedback, the perceptions and expectations of oral health professionals toward QI remain unclear. Understanding these perspectives, barriers, and facilitators is important to effectively encourage and maintain QI activities in dental practices. This is the first of 6 publications in a series titled "Situational Analysis of QI in Oral Health Care in Europe."
aimThis study aimed to investigate how QI was conducted and perceived in dental practices in the United Kingdom and Germany.
methodsA situational analysis, comprising desk research and semistructured interviews, was conducted. Data collection was conducted from May to October 2023. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit dental practice participants in the United Kingdom and Germany. Interviews and key texts were thematically analyzed to synthesize 3 maps: a situational map, a social world map, and a positional map.
resultsEighteen participants were interviewed, comprising dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental nurses, and practice managers. The participants described 6 competing positions surrounding QI: QI activities were expressed as being worthwhile or box-ticking exercises to satisfy regulators. Some felt that QI detracted from service delivery and should not be the role of the dentist, whereas others stressed the need for a whole-team approach. Some felt that patients were important to judge quality, whereas others felt quality in dentistry required understanding of technical processes beyond the reach of patients.
conclusionThis study provided insights into how QI activities were carried out in dental practices in the United Kingdom and Germany and how it is was perceived by those working in this environment. This study offers key observations into the situations, social worlds and arenas, and positions that influence QI in dental practices.Knowledge Transfer Statement:The findings from this study highlight several contextual barriers and facilitators to quality improvement in general dental practice. Understanding these determinants of quality improvement is relevant for oral health teams and dental practice managers who aim to develop and implement quality improvement strategies in dental practice.
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