Knowledge Acquisition Processes: Dissemination of Expert Recommendations to General Practice Dentists.

We examined structural determinants of general practice dentists' knowledge of the most recent American Heart Association recommendations for the prevention of bacterial endocarditis. Using data from a 1986 national telephone survey of 578 respondents (response rate = 81%), we developed and analyzed a structural model, in which we investigated the contributions to knowledge by age, professional practice settings, colleague networks, and formal educational experiences. Age, practice organization, and institutional affiliations are direct contributors to knowledge. Formal professional channels of reeducation do not contribute directly to knowledge level; rather, their effect is expressed through institutional affiliations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]