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Dentistry Journal
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Quality Assurance, Professionalism, and Sustainability in Dentistry after the COVID-19...
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Quality Assurance, Professionalism, and Sustainability in Dentistry after the COVID-19 Pandemic

A special issue of Dentistry Journal (ISSN 2304-6767).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 9161

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Antoniadou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Dentistry, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
Interests: dental biomaterials; restorative dentistry; professional aspects of dentistry (dentistry in unprivileged groups, holistic treatments in caries prevention and diet, dental management, marketing, and dental coaching)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rahiotis Christos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dental School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Thivon 2, Goudi, GR-11527 Athens, Greece
Interests: dentistry; continuing dental education; ergonomics; quality of life; professional dental diseases; dental management; dental marketing; economic strategies; professionalism; quality of dental services; green dentistry; dental sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are currently editing the Special Issue “Quality Assurance, Professionalism and Sustainability in Dentistry after the COVID-19 Pandemic" of the journal Dentistry.

Quality is generally described as the degree to which a product or service’s entire set of characteristics satisfies and guarantees established or apparent needs. In dentistry, those needs are diverse and correspond to a vast area of environmental, humanitarian, and health issues for both patients and dentists. During the COVID-19 pandemic, specific professional issues emerged, affecting all three pillars of quality: 1) suitability and ergonomics of equipment and settings, 2) communication within the office and assessed quality of dental services, and 3) quality of life of dental professionals affecting professionalism. In addition to these three pillars, the modern approach of quality assurance also touches the field of “green dentistry”, meaning environmental approaches in the dental office, affecting air, water, and equipment. A final point on sustainability is waste management and other economic strategies that guarantee the life cycle of the dental business.

The philosophy of “green dentistry” will evolve over the next decade. Resources are diminishing due to or even despite the pandemic’s financial results, asking oral health professionals from academic, public, and private sectors to focus on new environmental and human protection methods within their offices. It is also apparent that dentists need to cultivate other skills besides clinical skills. In their CED resolution (2017), the Council of European Dentists suggests that social skills and technical skills are equally as important in developing good dental practice management. They discuss a future dentist who is: a) a communicator, meaning they have solid communication skills, and b) a collaborator, meaning they have knowledge of and training on interprofessional and interprofessional collaboration.

Current professional and social changes demand adaptation and expansion of dental quality issues. This revised behavior will soon lead to a better quality of services (QOS) and quality of life (QOL) for all. Yet, as is well known, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines the quality of life (QOL) as “an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and concerning their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns”.

We wish to address QOL and QOS towards more sustainable practice in dental environments in this Special Issue. We also want to identify and collect research data on important issues related to:

  • QOL of oral health professionals;
  • Educational issues towards communication and collaboration skills in dentistry;
  • Ergonomics in busy dental sectors;
  • Air and water quality in the dental office;
  • Waste management and sustainability of the dental business;
  • Dental management of private and public sectors under stressful situations;
  • Dental marketing and dental branding issues;
  • Strategic analysis of dental business;
  • Quality assurance of dental services;
  • “Green dentistry” issues (reduce, recycle, reuse).

We look forward to receiving your academic contributions on these major dental professionalism research topics and fulfilling our vision of happy dental professionals and sustainable dental practices.

Dr. Maria Antoniadou
Dr. Rahiotis Christos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Dentistry Journal is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dental management
  • quality of dental services
  • green dentistry
  • dental sustainability

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1991 KiB  
Article
Is a Wiggling-Motion Modified Two-Step Impression Technique as Accurate as Conventional Techniques in Restorative Dentistry?
by Anastasia Zappi, Efstratios Papazoglou and Maria Anagnostou
Dent. J. 2023, 11(5), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj11050139 - 22 May 2023
Viewed by 1181
Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate dental impression accuracy of one-step and two-step techniques compared to a modified two-step technique. Methods: Four impression techniques were compared: (1) a one-step double mix (DM) technique, (2) a cut-out (CO) technique, in which [...] Read more.
Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate dental impression accuracy of one-step and two-step techniques compared to a modified two-step technique. Methods: Four impression techniques were compared: (1) a one-step double mix (DM) technique, (2) a cut-out (CO) technique, in which space relief was created using a blade and a laboratory bur, (3) a membrane (ME) technique, in which space relief was created by placing a PVC membrane on top of the putty material during the primary impression, and (4) a wiggling motion (WI) technique, in which PVC membrane was placed and additional wiggling movements were performed during the first 20 s when the primary impression was seated upon the master model (MM). Impressions were poured with type IV stone. Casts were scanned with a laboratory scanner and measurements were made for each cast using three-dimensional analysis software. Results: All groups presented differences compared to MM group, in at least one intra-abutment distance. Groups DM and ME presented the most significant differences, in three and two distances, respectively, whereas CO and WI presented one significant different distance compared to MM. There were no differences between MM and the four techniques for inter-abutment distances. Conclusions: WI yielded similar results with CO technique. Both performed better than the other groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Assurance, Professionalism, and Sustainability in Dentistry after the COVID-19 Pandemic)
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16 pages, 1757 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Quality of Life and Its Related Factors in Orthodontics Postgraduate Students: A Mixed Methods Approach
by Laura V. López-Trujillo, Sara C. López-Valencia and Andrés A. Agudelo-Suárez
Dent. J. 2023, 11(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj11020039 - 06 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1534
Abstract
This study analyzed the academic, sociodemographic, and labor conditions related to the quality of life (QOL) of orthodontics postgraduate students in Colombia. A mixed study (explanatory sequential design) was conducted. An online cross-sectional survey (n = 84; 64.3% females) was carried out [...] Read more.
This study analyzed the academic, sociodemographic, and labor conditions related to the quality of life (QOL) of orthodontics postgraduate students in Colombia. A mixed study (explanatory sequential design) was conducted. An online cross-sectional survey (n = 84; 64.3% females) was carried out with sociodemographic, academic, social support, health, labor, and QOL (WHOQOL-BREF) variables. Descriptive, bivariate analyses, and multivariate linear regression were performed. Focus groups (FGs) delved into aspects of relevance regarding QOL and determinants, through qualitative content analysis and triangulation of information. The median score in the four WHOQOL-BREF dimensions surpasses 50 points, with the highest score being in the psychological dimension (62.5 ± 16.7). According to the multivariate linear regression models, the variables significantly associated with QOL scores were playing sports, being married/living together, normal BMI, low social support, and medium/low socioeconomic status. The qualitative results explained the determinants of QOL in the personal, academic, and social dimensions of the participants. The discourses showed that the postgraduate course represents a resignification of their life, where their QOL is affected by the difficulties of their academic development, by the difficulty of reconciling the personal academic load with their affective, work, and social life, and by the stress they experience in their staff process. In conclusion, the participants’ QOL was moderate and affected by different factors. The findings highlighted the importance of mental health promotion and well-being strategies in students of orthodontic postgraduate training programs in Colombia for improving QOL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Assurance, Professionalism, and Sustainability in Dentistry after the COVID-19 Pandemic)
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14 pages, 2479 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Trueness and Precision of Intraoral Scanners in a Four-Implant Complete-Arch Model
by Dimitrios Spagopoulos, George Kaisarlis, Foteini Spagopoulou, Demetrios J. Halazonetis, Jan-Frederik Güth and Efstratios Papazoglou
Dent. J. 2023, 11(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj11010027 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2212
Abstract
(1) Background: New intraoral (IOS) and laboratory scanners appear in the market and their trueness and precision have not been compared. (2) Methods: Seven IOS and two laboratory scanners were used to scan a mandibular edentulous model with four parallel internal hexagon implant [...] Read more.
(1) Background: New intraoral (IOS) and laboratory scanners appear in the market and their trueness and precision have not been compared. (2) Methods: Seven IOS and two laboratory scanners were used to scan a mandibular edentulous model with four parallel internal hexagon implant analogues and PEEK scan bodies. Digital models in Standard Tessellation Language (STL) were created. The master model with the scan bodies was scanned (×10) with a computerized numerical control 3D Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). The short (distances of adjacent scan posts) and long distances (distances of the scan posts with non-adjacent sites in the arch) among the centroids of the four analogues were calculated using CMM special software. Trueness (comparisons with the master model) and precision (intragroup comparisons) were statistically compared with ANOVA, chi-square and Tukey tests. (3) Results: Laboratory scanners had the best trueness and precision compared to all IOSs for long distances. Only iTero (Align Technologies Inc., Milpitas, CA, USA) had comparable trueness with one laboratory scanner in short and long distances. For short distances, CS3600 (Carestream Health, Inc., Rochester, NY, USA), Omnicam, Primescan (Sirona Dental Sys-tems GmbH, Bens-heim, Germany) and TRIOS 4 (3Shape A/S, Copen-hagen, Denmark) had similar trueness to one laboratory scanner. From those, only Omnicam and Primescan had similar precision as the same laboratory scanner. Most IOSs seem to work better for smaller distances and are less precise in cross-arch distances. (4) Conclusions: The laboratory scanners showed significantly higher trueness and precision than all IOSs tested for the long-distance group; for the short distance, some IOSs were not different in trueness and precision than the laboratory scanners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Assurance, Professionalism, and Sustainability in Dentistry after the COVID-19 Pandemic)
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15 pages, 324 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Factors Affecting Burnout in Greek Dentists before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Maria Antoniadou
Dent. J. 2022, 10(6), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/dj10060108 - 13 Jun 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2593
Abstract
This study is a comprehensive, cross-sectional survey in occupational burnout, career satisfaction, and quality of life conducted in March 2021 among dentists in the vast area of metropolitan Athens, Greece. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire based on the Copenhagen Questionnaire (CQ) [...] Read more.
This study is a comprehensive, cross-sectional survey in occupational burnout, career satisfaction, and quality of life conducted in March 2021 among dentists in the vast area of metropolitan Athens, Greece. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire based on the Copenhagen Questionnaire (CQ) for assessing work stress and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) for evaluating occupational burnout. Using the independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression, 804 valid questionnaires were analyzed. During the pandemic, personal exhaustion was affected by gender (b = 1.862, p = 0.0001), age (b = −0.598, p = 0.0001), number of children (b = −0.886, p = 0.020) and higher degree (b = −0.450, p = 0.012). Exhaustion due to working with patients was affected by gender (b = 0.662 p = 0.0001), age (b = −0.513, p = 0.0001), number of children (b = −0.701, p = 0.0001), higher degree (b = −0.207, p = 0.028) and years in practice (b = 0.408 p = 0.0001). Males were more prone to unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and professional physical and emotional exhaustion, but personal resources through higher education, beliefs, values, and hobbies can offer a preventive shield to all dental professionals. Economic management issues can also enhance dentists’ satisfaction and feeling of safety in a rapidly changing environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Assurance, Professionalism, and Sustainability in Dentistry after the COVID-19 Pandemic)
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