Hoseinzadeh Melika, Motallebi Afsoon, Kazemian Ali
Dental Research Center, School of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Pediatric Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dentistry, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
Heliyon. 2024 Sep 20;10(19):e38205. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38205. eCollection 2024 Oct 15.
This field study explored general dentists' treatment plans in response to the request for cosmetic services of an unannounced standardized patient (USP) in Mashhad, Iran.
The researcher, as a USP, visited 24 and 23 offices in a high-income and a low-income area, respectively. The primary complaint was that, according to her friend's comments, a dental student, her smile was "crooked and yellow" due to the congenitally missing tooth number 10 and peg-shaped tooth number 8. The dentists' treatment plans for teeth color and form and the cosmetic services expenses were recorded. The treatment plans of the two areas were compared.
For dental form, most dentists' treatment plans were categorized as "No intervention" (privileged area: 37.5 %, less-privileged area: 56.53 %, and total: 46.80 %). The percentage of dentists in the privileged area who prescribed cosmetic services was twice that of the less-privileged area (33.33 % versus 17.39 %). The intervention for dental form varied from placing 1 unit of composite veneer to 10 units of ceramic laminates or orthodontics with a wide range of treatment costs ($42.09 to $1079.14). For tooth color, most dentists (privileged area: 62.50 %, less-privileged area: 30.43 %, and total: 46.80 %) were categorized as "Interventionists." For tooth color, the treatment plans varied from scaling and root planing, bleaching, and composite veneer with various costs ($7.19 to $197.84).
Cosmetic treatment plans and expenses varied significantly for a single USP, with many not aligning with the standard treatment plan. Some dentists offered treatments even without a chief complaint from the patient. Dentists in privileged areas were twice as likely to prescribe cosmetic treatments compared to those in less privileged areas. Therefore, cosmetic services necessitate monitoring, establishing clear diagnostic criteria, and implementing educational interventions.
本实地研究探讨了伊朗马什哈德的普通牙医针对一名未事先通知的标准化患者（USP）的美容服务请求所制定的治疗方案。
研究者作为USP分别走访了高收入和低收入地区的24家和23家诊所。主要诉求是，据她身为牙科学生的朋友评论，由于先天性缺失10号牙和呈钉状的8号牙，她的笑容“歪扭且发黄”。记录了牙医针对牙齿颜色和形态的治疗方案以及美容服务费用。比较了两个地区的治疗方案。
对于牙齿形态，大多数牙医的治疗方案归类为“不干预”（富裕地区：37.5%，较贫困地区：56.53%，总计：46.80%）。富裕地区开具美容服务的牙医比例是较贫困地区的两倍（33.33%对17.39%）。牙齿形态的干预措施从放置1颗复合贴面到10颗陶瓷贴面或正畸治疗不等，治疗费用范围较广（42.09美元至1079.14美元）。对于牙齿颜色，大多数牙医（富裕地区：62.50%，较贫困地区：30.43%，总计：46.80%）归类为“干预者”。对于牙齿颜色，治疗方案从洗牙和根面平整、漂白以及复合贴面不等，费用各异（7.19美元至197.84美元）。
对于单一的USP，美容治疗方案和费用差异显著，许多方案与标准治疗方案不一致。一些牙医甚至在患者没有主诉的情况下就提供治疗。富裕地区的牙医开具美容治疗的可能性是较贫困地区牙医的两倍。因此，美容服务需要进行监测、建立明确的诊断标准并实施教育干预措施。
