Search

Objective: This study explores dentists' perceptions of Good Work in the meaning of positive and rewarding aspects in their work in contrast to a traditional problem-centred focus on work life. Methods: Nine informants were selected among Danish and Swedish general dental practitioners to obtain variation as to country of origin, gender, age and clinical work experience. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim in the original language. Statements concerning positive aspects of work were used for systematic text condensation according to the principles of Giorgi's phenomenological analysis, as modified by Malterud, generalizing descriptions reflecting aspects of Good Work. Selection of participants continued until saturation of the emerging categories was achieved. Results: The core of Good Work emanates from the clinical encounter: from the relation with the patient and from the opportunity to carry out high quality odontological handicraft. Social relations at the workplace, as well as organizational values and conditions were perceived as influencing the opportunities to achieve the rewarding aspects from the clinical encounter. Conclusions: The results implicate a need for developing a work-environmental model with intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards when dealing with human service organizations. At policy level it is necessary to address the professional culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Saudi Arabia, local interpretations of Islamic laws and social norms have a negative impact on the health and well-being of women. The objective of this literature review was to discuss gender inequity in Saudi Arabia and its relation to public health. Despite the scarcity of recent statistics and information regarding gender inequity in Saudi Arabia, this review is an attempt to explore this sensitive issue in this country. Women's roles and rights in Saudi society were examined, including education, marriage, polygamy, fertility, job opportunities, car driving and identification cards. Further research to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices towards health care of Saudi men and women is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores whether the task-focused and socio-emotional dimensions of clinical communication is recognizable in the verbal communication context of prosthetic dentistry, as well as if there are other dimensions of communication in that context. Sixty-one audio recordings were made at three specialist clinics of prosthetic dentistry in Sweden. Sixty-one patients and 15 dentists participated. Sixty-one prosthetic rehabilitation periods were followed. Tooth- or implant-supported fixed prostheses were placed during this time. One visit near the end of each rehabilitation period was audiorecorded. The verbal communication was analyzed with the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS)-dental. The categories were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Patient and dentist verbal behavior could not be defined exclusively as socio-emotional or task-focused but had to be defined in other dimensions; Emotional exchange, information exchange-patient horizon, relation building exchange, information exchange-dentist horizon, and administrative and counseling exchange. Since the 'emotional exchange' factor was found to capture the largest share of the variance in the communicated patterns, the present study suggests that prosthetic care in dentistry is basically a human relationship with strong emotional communicative content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manifestly required qualifications in job advertisements in the Journal of the Swedish Dental Association were analyzed as indicators of the organizational ideology in the Swedish Public Dental Health Service from the employers' viewpoint. All job advertisements that concerned dentists and managers on different hierarchical levels in general dentistry from January 1990 to December 1998 were included (n = 1152). The number of vacancies was 1856. The textual material was analyzed by content analysis, permitting quantitative descriptions of the text and analysis of the latent characteristics. Words and phrases were classified into categories on different levels of abstraction developed from the theoretical background and the purpose of the study. Altogether 5705 required qualifications were categorized. The inter-coder reliability of the first-level categorization resulted in 81% correspondence of the classification, and lambda = 0.90. Qualifications were more frequently required with higher hierarchical job positions, and personality characteristics were more frequent than technical competence and knowledge. Qualifications interpreted as related to economic goals occurred more frequently than those related to odontological goals. The qualification demands reflected the language of human resource management (HRM), emphasizing the 'soft' people-centered approach and was interpreted as an 'ideal' model of HRM. Dentists were regarded as a profitable organizational asset rather than participants in relations with patients. In conclusion, the results indicate an organizational ideology primarily of economic character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire measuring dental conditions was sent to 2708 individuals aged 55 79 years in Orebro County, who about 10 years earlier had been randomly selected for a similar study. The response rate was 68% (1848 individuals). Of those, 1665 had participated also in the 1989 study. The objectives were to study changes in dental conditions having occurred during a decade and to evaluate whether impairment in dental conditions among the participants had resulted in prosthodontic treatments. Only small changes in dental conditions were registered among those who participated both in 1989 and in 1999. Loss of a single tooth was the most frequently reported change. Ten per cent fewer reported that they had all teeth remaining in 1999 compared with conditions in 1989. The number of subjects wearing removable dentures increased only slightly. Although the reported changes in dental conditions were small, there had been a need for prosthodontic treatment in many of the subjects. Ten percent of the subjects reported that they had received FPD treatment during the past 10 years. To conclude, the present study showed that only small changes in dental conditions had occurred among the participants during a decade. Nevertheless, a substantial increase in the prevalence of prosthodontic appliances, especially of fixed restorations, was noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]