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Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | March-April 2015 39news “These findings may have implications for how general dentists respond to the changing picture of dental economics...” ByDentalTribuneInternational B IRMINGHAM, Ala., USA: Today, general dentists in the U.S. and other parts of the world provide a compre- hensive range of services. How- ever, there has been only lim- ited research on which specific procedures are performed most commonly by this group. Now, a new study has shown that non- implant restorative treatments, esthetic procedures, and extrac- tions are routinely performed by the majority of general dentists. Over 60 percent also provide im- plant treatments. In order to determine the ten most commonly performed den- tal procedures, data from 2,367 general dentists in the U.S. Na- tional Dental Practice-Based Re- search Network were collected via a questionnaire. The majority of participants stated that they perform nonim- plant restorative treatments (96 percent), esthetic procedures (59 percent), and extractions (64 percent) on a regular ba- sis. Almost 60 percent said that they also perform endodontic therapy. While orthodontic treat- ments and periodontal surgery were not common among two- thirds of the participants, over 60 percent stated that they perform dental implant procedures occa- sionally or routinely. The study also found that more male dentists performed en- dodontic procedures, implant treatments and surgical peri- odontal therapy than did their female counterparts. As a considerable number of general dentists interviewed re- ported performing at least some endodontic procedures and per- iodontal surgery, it is possible that provision of such services is a means for general dentists to adapt to the availability of den- tal specialists and to overall de- mand for services in their prac- tices, the researchers said. “These findings may have impli- cations for how general dentists respond to the changing picture of dental economics and dental care utilization, demography of patient populations, the scope of practice, changing delivery models, access to care, and their evolving role in primary care,” they concluded. The study, titled “Provision of Specific Dental Procedures by General Dentists in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network: Questionnaire Find- ings,” was published online on Jan. 22 in the BMC Oral Health journal. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in col- laboration with other scientific research institutions throughout the U.S. Over 60 percent of general dentists perform dental implant procedures A new study has shown that general dentists adapt to changing eco- nomic demand and the needs of their patient population by providing a comprehensive range of dental procedures, including dental implants. (Photograph: greenbutterfly/Shutterstock)