While this study of Childsmile's EDDNs did not specifically measure the impact of their utilisation on productivity in general dental practice, a gap that has recently been acknowledged in the research literature [ 28], it concurs that with appropriate training EDDNs can deliver health promoting aspects of a dentist's role in Scottish general dental practice.
We want to continue further research from the point of view of dentist.
The altered aspects include increases in the number of dentists and changes in their distribution; decreases in the number of dental visits per patients; a shift from hospital visits (decreased) to clinic visits (increased) as hospitals outsource certain dental services; and a decrease in performance of low-reimbursement procedures as dentists choose to perform more high-reimbursement procedures.
Also Fox 29 reviewed dentists' perceptions of prevention and its application in practice and highlighted that recently, most dentists regarded aspects of prevention to be part of their professional work, a source of job satisfaction and of value to the practice, its image and a marker of quality of care.
For example, in dentistry, questionnaire surveys have been used to evaluate patients' uneasiness before treatment, their dislikes during treatment as well as their opinions about certain aspects of the service such as dentists' technical ability, treatment costs and service facilities [ 9, 10].
Furthermore, social support in the workplace, measured here by the number of dentists in the practice, appears to have a protective effect against some aspects of burnout [ 19].
The scale consists of 15 items related to various aspects of dental treatment, such as 'the dentist drilling'injections'ns', and 'having to open the mouth' (Additional file 1).
From this study emerges the need to promote not only healthy oral hygiene habits, but also to pay greater attention to the psychological aspects of the experience of seeing the dentist and undergoing dental treatment.
The authors examined the attitudes and behaviors of a national sample of dentists regarding domestic violence and the barriers dentists face in intervening to help victims.
Wider access to restorative dental care could be helped by provision of sufficient manpower and continuing education of dentists to ensure that oral health care providers have sufficient skills and depth of understanding of aspects of oral health care.
