ArticleBMC medical education2025
How do dental professionals perceive sustainable dentistry? A qualitative study.
Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Utilising Teledentistry for Interdisciplinary Oral Assessment in Older Patients: An International Cross-Sectional Survey.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDentistry must reduce its ecological footprint in response to the triple ecological disaster of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It is thus necessary to introduce or reinforce sustainability in dental curricula and continuing education programmes. As such, this study aimed to explore how dental professionals perceive ecological issues, conceptualize and integrate sustainable practices into clinical routines, and identify their needs regarding continuing education in this domain.
methodsWe conducted a qualitative, exploratory study in partnership with the Ministry of Health and professional dental organizations of the province of Québec, Canada. We held six virtual focus groups (60-90 min) with a sample of 28 Québec practitioners-8 dentists, 9 dental hygienists, and 11 dental assistants-from public and private clinics. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke's approach.
resultsMost participants expressed concern about climate change and a sense of responsibility toward future generations. They defined sustainability as minimizing ecological impact without compromising infection control, but acknowledged a lack of information on the subject, often equating it with waste reduction while overlooking higher-impact sources such as patient and staff travel. Their self-initiated actions, which were shaped by their professional roles, faced barriers including time pressure, hierarchical decision-making, the cost of sustainable products, and infection control rules, operating at individual, clinic, and policy levels. All groups actively wanted continuing education on sustainable dentistry, preferably in a hybrid format, and requested clear clinical protocols along with supportive procurement and regulatory policies to make change feasible.
conclusionsOur analysis met the objectives by describing clinicians' perceptions and routines, identifying needs foental professionals expressed concerns aboutr continuing education, and surfacing multilevel barriers and enablers. Accordingly, it is important to develop continuing education programmes on sustainable dentistry that are tailored to their learning preferences and professionals' roles within the clinic. Training should be complemented by the provision of clear clinical protocols, designated sustainability leads, and procurement systems that remove cost and supply barriers.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.