ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate dentists' opinions about the need for a practice management course in
the undergraduate dental program. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 on practicing dentists in Lahore,
Pakistan. A self-administered pilot-tested questionnaire was distributed among 588
dentists using a convenience sampling method to obtain their responses about the need
for a practice management course. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate
logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: About 83.8% of 588 dentists completed the questionnaires. There were 36.7% of males
and 63.3% of females (mean age 26.22 ± 4.8 years). The principles of patient management
(94.1%), time management skills (90.3%), and teamwork (89.2%) were the most commonly
agreed topics of the practice management course. The least agreed topics included
office design (59.2%), health-care systems (60.9%), and inventory systems (69%). Most
participants (74.4%) thought that a practice management course is required to successfully
manage a dental practice, and 63% recommended to include the course in the dental
curriculum. Multivariate logistic regression showed that dentists working in private
clinic (odds ratio (OR): 3.35, P = 0.001), dentists with graduation within ≤ past 5 years (OR: 3.64, P = 0.001), and dentists who attended a practice management course (OR: 3.12, P = 0.001) were more likely to agree to the need of a practice management course to
successfully run a dental office. Conclusion: Most dentists believed that a practice management course is required for a successful
dental practice. The development and implementation of such a course should be based
on the feedback from dentists to ensure evidence-based approaches.
Key words:
Dental practice - dentists - practice management
