A geospatial analysis of factors influencing clinical decision-making of rural and urban dental practitioners in Tiruppur district

Abstract

The core of dental practice is clinical decision-making. Geographic information system was used in our study to evaluate the clinical decision-making of dental practitioners in urban and rural Tiruppur district, Tamil Nadu. This cross-sectional study included 50 certified dental practitioners from both urban and rural areas. The research was conducted in June 2022. The tem-item and self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect data on practitioner, patient, and provider characteristics. The questionnaire was distributed to participants through an online Google form forum, and the results, clinical decision-making, were quantified using a series of hypothetical case situations. The association between rural and urban dental practitioners was assessed using the “Chi-square test.” Twenty-six (14 [56%] urban and 12 [48%] rural practitioners) chosen the most conservative treatment approach of coronoplasty for asymptomatic impacted mandibular 3rd molar. Thirty (17 [68%] urban and 13 [52%]) rural practitioners preferred the conservative treatment plan of removal of caries followed by GIC Restoration for class I dental caries in a 7-year-old child. For the case scenario relation to class I malocclusion with spacing, 16 (64%) of urban dental practitioners preferred aligner-based treatment rather than fixed orthodontic appliance. This treatment choice differs statistically between urban and rural practitioners. The current research revealed an association between non-clinical features and dental professionals’ self-reported treatment preferences. It provides a foundation for future research into the elements hypothesized to impact dentists’ treatment decisions.