Situación laboral de los egresados de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de Cartagena / Employment situation of graduates from the University of Cartagena School of Dentistry

RESUMEN Introducción: El seguimiento de los egresados constituye una herramienta para obtener un diagnóstico del contexto donde se desenvuelven e inducir reflexión en las instituciones de educación superior. Objetivo: Identificar la situación laboral de los egresados de la Facultad de Odontologia de la Universidad de Cartagena entre los años 1990 a 1999. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo longitudinal retrospectivo. La población estuvo constituida por 517 egresados del programa de odontología en el periodo 1990-1999, y la muestra por 213. Se estudiaron variables como la distribución de los egresados según las características sociodemográficas, la situación laboral, la situación económica, y la relación de la situación laboral con las características sociodemográficas. Resultados: El 82,6 por ciento se encontraba ejerciendo la carrera, de los cuales el 68,5 por ciento se hallaba ubicado laboralmente en la región Caribe y el 73,2 por ciento laboraba en el sector privado. El 70,9 por ciento de los participantes contaba con un ingreso promedio mensual mayor de 2 000 000 de pesos. Con respecto a la dedicación laboral, el 49,8 por ciento invertía tiempo completo en la actividad desarrollada y el tipo de contratación al que pertenecía era término indefinido en el 40,4 por ciento. Conclusiones: A pesar de la gran oferta de odontólogos que existe en Colombia actualmente, la mayoría de los egresados evaluados se encuentran laborando en su carrera, lo que les proporciona ingresos económicos suficientes para poder cubrir sus necesidades(AU)

ABSTRACT Introduction: Following up the employment situation of graduates is a tool useful to obtain a diagnosis of the context where they perform their professional activities and induce higher education institutions to reflect upon the subject. Objective: Identify the employment situation of graduates from the University of Cartagena School of Dentistry in the period 1990-1999. Methods: An observational retrospective longitudinal descriptive study was conducted. The study population was 517 dental professionals graduating in the period 1990-1999, from whom a sample of 213 was obtained. Among the variables analyzed were the distribution of graduates according to their sociodemographic characteristics, employment situation, economic situation and the relationship between employment situation and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Of the total sample, 82.6 percent were performing tasks related to their university studies. Of these, 68.5 percent had a job in the Caribe region and 73.2 por ciento in the private sector. The average monthly income of 70.9 percent of the participants was above 2 000 000 pesos. As to contractual conditions, 49.8 percent were hired full time and 40.4 percenthad an indefinite term contract. Conclusions: Despite the great offer of dentists in Colombia nowadays, most of the graduates evaluated have a job related to their studies, which provides them with sufficient economic means to meet their needs(AU)

Consolidation in the dental industry: a closer look at dental payers and providers.

We examine the effect of commercial dental insurance concentration on the size of dental practices, the decision of dentists to own a practice, and the choice of dentists to work at a dental management service organization-a type of corporate group practice that has become more prevalent in the United States in recent years. Using 2013-2015 dentist-level data from the American Dental Association, county-level data on firms and employment from the United States Census, and commercial dental insurance market concentration data from FAIR Health®, we find a modest effect of dental insurance market concentration on the size of dental practices. We also find that a higher level of commercial dental insurance market concentration is associated with a dentist's decision not to own a practice. There is inconclusive evidence that higher levels of dental insurance market concentration impact a dentist's decision to affiliate with a dental management service organization. Overall, our findings imply that dentists consolidate in response to increases in concentration among commercial dental insurers.

Practice Management in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Managing an oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) practice has undergone dramatic changes. Electronic health records, privacy laws, revenue cycle management, online marketing, and the rise of dental service organizations (DSOs) present increased daily complexity for oral and maxillofacial surgeons in private practice, hospital-based employees, and academic surgeons. This article is structured to discuss the role of DSOs, private equity in OMS, online practice marketing, accounting and tax considerations, and modern essentials of practice management.

Influence of Community-Based Dental Education on Practice Choice: Preliminary Data from East Carolina University.

Maldistribution of the dental workforce contributes to poor access to oral health care. Community-based dental education (CBDE) may help to address this problem by using experiential learning to encourage new dentists to practice in underserved areas. The East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine (East Carolina University SoDM) employs a multifaceted strategy, including CBDE, to increase the number of dentists practicing in underserved areas of North Carolina. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of CBDE and other factors on practice choice among East Carolina University SoDM graduates. This cross-sectional study assessed practice intentions before and after a senior-year CBDE experience. Data were obtained for students in three graduating years from written student reflections and self-reported practice plans solicited at graduation. Of the total 156 students between 2015 and 2017 (52 each year), all students participated in at least one component of this evaluation: all students (100%) completed required student reflections, and 148 (95%) provided pre-graduation practice plans. Data were also obtained on alumni practice characteristics via a survey of recent graduates; 72 alumni (46% response rate) participated in the alumni survey. The assessments found positive attitudes towards the CBDE program before and after participation, although areas for improvement relating to business management and financial viability were reported. The majority of alumni respondents (67%) remained in the state to practice after graduation, with half reporting practicing in rural areas. For most alumni respondents (>75%), debt, salary, benefits, type of patient population, and desire to own/run a business were important factors other than the CBDE program influencing their practice choice. Nearly half of them (45.8%) rated desire to work in a public health setting as an important factor. This study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of this educational model in retaining new dentists within the state to address the critical shortage of dentists in North Carolina.

El expediente clínico electrónico: una opción con posibilidades ilimitadas / The electronic clinical file: an option with unlimited possibilities

El expediente clínico se define como el conjunto de datos médicos y clínicos ordenados y detallados en forma cronológica, que permiten al profesional de la salud plantear un diagnóstico sindrómico y nosológico, con su posterior pronóstico, para finalmente llevar un registro del desarrollo de un tratamiento. Refleja la capacidad resolutiva de la clínica o consultorio, así como la capacidad profesional de su personal, de ahí la importancia de tener un expediente clínico bien integrado, ordenado, completo, legible y en apego a la normatividad vigente (AU)

The clinical file is defined as a set of medical and clinical data, which are ordered and chronologically detailed, allows the health professional to identify a syndromic and nosological diagnosis, with a later prognosis, to finally make a treatment plan. It reflects the resolutive capacity and the professional capacity of the clinician and his staff. Therefore, it becomes a legal document of the greatest importance, having to have the characteristics of being well integrated, orderly, complete, legible and in compliance with current regulations (AU)

Simple Approaches for Establishing an Evidence-Based Dental Practice.

Constructing an evidence-based dental practice requires leadership, commitment, technology support, and time, as well as skill practice in searching, appraising, and organizing evidence. In mastering the skills of evidence-based dentistry, clinicians can implement high-quality science into practice through a variety of opportunities including the development of clinical care guidelines, procedural technique protocols, and electronic dental record auto-note templates, as well as treatment planning, care prioritization, and case presentation. The benefits of building an evidence-based dental practice are many, including improvements in patient care and satisfaction, increased treatment predictability and confidence in care approaches, as well as potential cost savings.

Dental corporates abroad and the UK dental market.

The UK government opened NHS dentistry to competition in 2006. By 2015-2016 just over three quarters of NHS contracts were held by non-corporate providers with corporate contracts, on average, having a lower £:UDA (unit of dental activity) value and higher UDA targets than non-corporate contracts. The corporate market share continues to expand through inorganic and organic growth and new financial backers are entering the arena. It is not known how these changes will affect the profession though inspiration can be drawn from overseas markets. In this article I aim to provide an overview of the dental corporate market in the USA and Australia as well as some insight as to how the sector stands in England.

Barriers to sealant guideline implementation within a multi-site managed care dental practice.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify barriers frequently endorsed by dentists in a large, multi-site dental practice to implementing the American Dental Association's recommendation for sealing noncavitated occlusal carious lesions as established in their 2016 pit-and-fissure sealant clinical practice guideline. Although previous research has identified barriers to using sealants perceived by dentists in private practice, barriers frequently endorsed by dentists in large, multi-site dental practices have yet to be identified. Identifying barriers for these dentists is important, because it is expected that in the future, the multi-site group practice configuration will comprise more dental practices. METHODS: We anonymously surveyed the 110 general and pediatric dentists at a multi-site dental practice in the U.S. The survey assessed potential barriers in three domains: practice environment, prevailing opinion, and knowledge and attitudes. Results were summarized using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The response rate to the survey was 62%. The principal barrier characterizing the practice environment was concern regarding liability; endorsed by 33% of the dentists. Many barriers of prevailing opinion were frequently endorsed. These included misunderstanding the standard of practice (59%), being unaware of the expectations of opinion leaders (56%) including being unaware of the guideline itself (67%), and being unaware of what is currently being taught in dental schools (58%). Finally, barriers of knowledge and attitudes were frequently endorsed. These included having suboptimal skill in applying sealants (23% - 47%) and lacking knowledge regarding the relative efficacy of the different ways to manage noncavitated occlusal carious lesions (50%). CONCLUSIONS: We identified barriers frequently endorsed by dentists in a large, multi-site dental practice relating to the practice environment, prevailing opinion, and knowledge and attitudes. All the barriers we identified have the potential to be addressed by implementation strategies. Future studies should devise and test implementation strategies to target these barriers.

Factors Associated with the Economic Sustainability of the Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate key factors associated with the economic sustainability of the Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice (RDHAP).Methods: An invitation to participate in a 38-question electronic survey was sent via postal mail to 440 RDHAP licentiate addressees obtained through the Dental Hygiene Committee of California (DHCC). Legal restrictions did not allow for obtaining the RDHAP licentiate email addresses from the DHCC. The survey was disseminated via email to the 254 RDHAPs who were members of the California Dental Hygienists' Association. Additional invitations to participate were made via flyer distribution at an RDHAP symposium, and on RDHAP only social media sites.Results: The response rate was an estimated 16%. While 44% of the RDHAPs reported some employment in a traditional dental practice, given the opportunity, 61% of these respondents indicated that they would practice exclusively as an RDHAP. With regard to practice strategic planning and alliances, 31% felt that dentists lacked knowledge of the RDHAP, and 25% indicated dentists were resistant to this workforce model. Regarding RDHAP practice staffing patterns, 75% indicated not having any employees. When asked about business systems, 64% had solo, portable practices and 16% had standalone practices. Economic sustainability challenges included practice business/equipment expenses (29%), insurance/reimbursement issues (21%), patient flow (19%) and RDHAP visibility (14%).Conclusions: RDHAP practices face challenges including the need for strategic planning and intra- and inter-professional alliances, efficient and effective patient flow, optimal staffing patterns and effective business systems. Focus on enhancing RDHAP visibility within the dental and medical communities should be a priority. In addition, further research should explore RDHAPs aligning with community-based clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) with a commitment to disease prevention in addition to the financial resources and staff to manage practice business systems.