Introducing Shared Decision-Making to Dentistry

Background Shared decision-making, patients and professionals combining needed information to identify mutually optimal treatment decisions, is widely studied in medicine but not dentistry. Existing healthcare research generally suggests that professionals focus on securing patient acceptance of professionally preferred predetermined approaches and underestimate their need for information about patient differences. The aim of this study was to explore shared decision-making in the dentist-patient segment in the American Dental Association’s Venn diagram concept of evidence-based dentistry.Methods Nine vignettes describing a range of dental encounters were evaluated by 34 dentists, 120 dental students, and 74 patients using a digital format.Results The importance of shared information, sufficient to arrive at mutually acceptable commitment to action, was recognized by professionals and patients. Wide variation and individual interpretation of what needed to be shared were observed. Dentists perceived themselves to be more in need than patients of information to support shared decisions, a view shared by students and patients. Dentists concentrated their concerns on information regarding technical conditions and patients focused on their personal life situations.Conclusions This introductory study suggests that a more balanced approach exists for sharing decisions between dentists and patients than has been reported previously in medicine.Practical Implications Dentists serve their patients by creating an environment that encourages sharing information leading to mutually satisfactory decisions.