Factors affecting patient completion of treatment within a student dental clinic

Failure of dental patients to complete their treatment challenges the efficient use of human and clinic resources, expectations of improved patients' health, and the dentist's effective management of his patients. Accordingly, the present study was undertaken to explore factors which might account for adult patients not completing their treatment at the University of North Carolina dental school. These factors were simultaneously considered as determinants of completed treatment. Possible explanations were considered from providers' (dental students') as well as inactive patients' points of view. Results revealed substantial agreement between patients and students, and yielded the following general determinants of treatment completion: patient's availability for treatment, how cooperative or treatable the patient was, and the patient's satisfaction with treatment. Demographic explanations were minimal. The findings can guide efforts to refine present methods of patient screening and patient management as practiced by dental students and their preceptors.