A survey of patients' attitudes to their dentist

— A survey of the dentist-patient relationship, carried out in several Melbourne suburbs, found that the incidence of dentures increases with age; that females visit the dentist more regularly and are more likely to wear partial dentures than males; that the young visit more regularly than the old; and that the wearing of dentures and the expense of treatment are significant factors which deter people from visiting the dentist more regularly. It was found that ‘fear’ and ‘dislike’ of the dentist, ‘low’ confidence in the dentist and a poor dentist attitude to the patient are all associated with poor attendance. ‘Dislike’ is a stronger deterrent than ‘fear’, although ‘fear’ is more common. Confidence in the dentist is high, most have a high opinion of their own dentist, and only a fifth of the respondents consider their dentist to be ‘rude’ or ‘indifferent’. Attitude associations are also discussed.