Loma Linda University School of Dentistry: Dentalgram, Dec. 2000

Patients give their student dentists high marks

How do our patients perceive the care they receive at the School of Dentistry? A recent survey reveals interesting results.

The School of Dentistry clinics provide care to thousands of patients every year. But how do our patients feel about the dental care that our students provide?

A recent survey of 467 patients who have received dental care from School of Dentistry students showed some interesting results.

In the survey, patients were asked to rate dental care they receive in the School of Dentistry. Following are the questions they were asked:

My student dentist is 1) caring; 2) honest; 3) polite; 4) cheerful; and 5) enthusiastic.

My student dentist 6) acts in a Christian manner; 7) appears organized; 8) respects the faculty and/or staff; 9) refers to his/her dental educational experience positively; 10) strives to produce excellent dental work; and 11) appears self-confident in providing dental care. The final two questions were: 12) My student dentist shows respect for my personal schedule when making dental appointments; and 13) my student dentist shows respect for my family members and others who may accompany me.

The categories for each of these questions were: Strongly agree; Agree; Neutral; Disagree; and Strongly disagree. The results of the survey were astounding--with very few patients rating any category less than "neutral."

Paul Richardson, SD'72, is associate dean for clinic administration. He directs the clinic staff and students, and is aware of any complaints that are received.

When a patient has a concern, Jodi Staff, patient relations supervisor, begins to work on it immediately. In the rare event that the patient is still not satisfied, Dr. Richardson or Robert Clement, DDS, director of clinical services division, steps in. "We have a small group that works with these cases," informs Dr. Richardson. "Most of the issues we address are related to a misunderstanding, or billing concerns."

According to Dr. Richardson, one reason our patients are so satisfied with their care is that faculty are closely involved in each step of the patient's care. And, Dr. Richardson points out, dentistry is a field where the practitioner is highly visible as he or she manages the patients' care.

Another reason for the high marks shown in the survey may be that many School of Dentistry employees have worked here for a number of years, allowing them to know their jobs thoroughly, and to become more efficient.

Many supervisors have been in their positions for five years, and some for ten years or longer.

This directly effects each patient, beginning with their first encounter with the clinic.

Training the staff is also taken seriously. Dr. Richardson does his best to ensure that each student and staff member realizes that the School values each person who chooses to come to our clinics for dental care. "Our patients always come first," he says. "And our clinic staff has shown that they are extremely dedicated."