Financial, psychological, or cultural reasons for extracting healthy or restorable teeth.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to determine how often dental patients request extraction for nondental reasons and how dentists handle such requests.

METHODS

The authors conducted a survey among 800 Dutch dentists from November 17, 2019, through January 5, 2020. The questionnaire contained 17 items, including a hypothetical case vingette.

RESULTS

A total of 242 dentists responded to the survey (response rate was 30.3%, 48.3% of respondents were women, and mean [standard deviation] age was 45.3 [11.8] years). Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported that they had been confronted with a request for extraction on nondental grounds in the past 3 years. One-half of these dentists received such a request 5 times or fewer, 21.3% received such a request 6 through 10 times, 11.3% received such a request 11 through 20 times, and 8.8% received such a request 21 through 30 times. Their most recent request concerned a financial reason (49.7%), a combination of psychological and financial reasons (27.7%), a psychological reason (18.2%), or another reason (4.4%). Most dentists (87.5%) evaluated the patient's competency to make health care decisions. Of all nondental extraction requests, 75.6% (n = 114) were granted. Only 4.0% (n = 6) of the dentists regretted the extraction. Most dentists (82.0%, n = 191) would have refused the extraction in the hypothetical case vignette.

CONCLUSIONS

Nondental requests for extraction are relatively common. Although dentists are reluctant in theory, they are likely to grant such requests in everyday practice, particularly if the patient cannot afford an indicated conservative treatment.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Dentists should keep in mind that they cannot ethically or legally be required to perform an intervention deemed harmful, even if an autonomous patient made the request.