Ethical obliqations and the dental office team.

A hypothetical case of alleged sexual misconduct in a practice with high employee turnover and stress is analyzed by three experts. This case commentary examines the ethical role expectations of an office manager who is not directly involved but becomes aware of the activities. The commentators bring the perspectives of a dental hygienist, academic administrator, and attorney; a teacher of behavioral sciences in a dental school; and a general dentist with many years of practice experience.

HIV-positive status and preservation of privacy: a recent decision from the Italian Data Protection Authority on the procedure of gathering personal patient data in the dental office.

The processing of sensitive information in the health field is subject to rigorous standards that guarantee the protection of information confidentiality. Recently, the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali) stated their formal opinion on a standard procedure in dental offices involving the submission of a questionnaire that includes the patient's health status. HIV infection status is included on the form. The Authority has stated that all health data collection must be in accordance with the current Italian normative framework for personal data protection and respect the patient's freedom. This freedom allows the patient to decide, in a conscious and responsible way, whether to share health information with health personnel without experiencing any prejudice in the provision of healthcare requested. Moreover, data collection must be relevant and cannot exceed the principles of treatment goals with reference to the specific care of the concerned person. However, the need for recording information regarding HIV infection at the first appointment, regardless of the clinical intervention or therapeutic plan that needs to be conducted, should not alter the standard protection measures of the healthcare staff. In fact, these measures are adopted for every patient.

Analysis of the reliability of patient COVID-19 screening data compared against their actual test data.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the truthfulness of patients about their pre-appointment COVID-19 screening tests at a dental clinic. METHODS: A total of 613 patients were recruited for the study from the dental clinic at the Faculty of Dentistry, Najran University, Saudi Arabia. The data collection was done in three parts from the patients who visited the hospital to receive dental treatment. The first part included the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and the COVID-19 swab tests performed within the past 14 days. The second part was the clinical examination, and the third part was a confirmation of the swab test taken by the patient by checking the Hesen website using the patient ID. After data collection, statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 26.0. Descriptive analysis was done and expressed as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage (%). A cross-tabulation, also described as a contingency table, was used to identify trends and patterns across data and explain the correlation between different variables. RESULTS: It was seen from the status of the swab test within 14 days of the patient's arrival at the hospital for the dental treatment that 18 (2.9%) patients lied about the pre-treatment swab test within 14 days, and 595 (97.1%) were truthful. The observed and expected counts showed across genders and diagnosis a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001), and there was no significant difference seen across different age groups (p = 0.064) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Dental healthcare workers are worried and assume a high risk of COVID-19 infection as the patients are not truthful about the pre-treatment COVID-19 swab test. Routine rapid tests on patients and the healthcare staff are a feasible option for lowering overall risks.

Assessment of attributes for choosing a dental center in Trujillo, Peru: patients versus dentists / Valoración de los atributos para la elección de un centro odontológico en Trujillo, Perú: pacientes versus odontólogos

Objective: To determine the difference between patients and dentists regarding the assessment of attributes for choosing a dental center in Trujillo, Peru. Materials and Methods: A comparative cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving a sample of 162 dentists and 162 patients from the Trujillo province in Peru. The data was collected through a virtual questionnaire, validated by experts, and assessed for reliability. Statistical analysis was performed using the U-Mann Whitney and Spearman correlation tests, with a significance level set at 5%. Results: Patients, in comparison to dentists, demonstrated a greater preference for selecting a dental center where the practitioner is a recognized specialist (p<0.001). Similarly, patients showed a preference for centers offering expedited appointments, advanced technology, and equipment, providing affordable and flexible payment options, free consultations, and having convenient parking and comfortable facilities (p<0.05). Conversely, dentists perceived that the most valued attribute by patients is the recommendation of the dentist (p=0.031). Conclusions: When choosing a dental center, patients primarily value attributes related to both the professional responsible for care and administrative management. Conversely, dentists consider the main factor influencing a patient's choice of dental center to be recommendations of the dentist. Valoración de los atributos para la elección de un centro odontológico en Trujillo, Perú: pacientes versus odontólogos

Objetivo: Determinar la diferencia entre pacientes y odontólogos con respecto a la valoración de atributos para la elección de un centro odontológico en Trujillo. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional transversal comparativo con una muestra de 162 odontólogos y 162 pacientes de la provincia Trujillo (Perú). La data fue recogida a través de un cuestionario virtual, sometido a validación por expertos y prueba de confiabilidad. El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante las pruebas U-Mann Whitney y correlación de Spearman, considerando un nivel de significancia del 5%. Resultado: Los pacientes, con respecto a los odontólogos, mostraron mayor valoración para la elección del centro odontológico cuando el profesional es especialista y reconocido (p<0.001); así mismo, cuando se le brindan citas rápidas, se usa tecnología y equipamiento adecuados, se brindan facilidades de pago con precios bajos y consultas gratuitas, y el centro cuenta con estacionamiento y espacios cómodos (p<0.05). Por su parte, los odontólogos consideran que el atributo más valorado por los pacientes es que el profesional sea recomendado (p=0.031). Conclusión: Para la elección del centro odontológico, los pacientes valoraron en mayor medida los atributos relacionados al profesional responsable de la atención y la gestión administrativa. Por otro lado, los odontólogos consideraron preferentemente que el atributo principal para la elección del centro odontológico por parte del paciente es que el odontólogo haya sido recomendado.