2020 Volume 58 Issue 3 Pages 149-156
The environment surrounding children and disabled persons changes with the times. In recent years, the declining birthrate and increasing number of dual-income households are pronounced. In addition, the environment surrounding our clinic has changed due to its relocation. To grasp the current role of our clinic in Hokkaido, we surveyed the state of new patients over the past six years.
The number of new patients and the percentage of introduced patients have showed an increasing tendency. The most common patient age at the first visit was three years old, and caries treatment was the most common chief complaint. Most of the new patients lived in Sapporo, but a few lived in remote areas. Patients with a systemic disease or disorder accounted for 35.9% of the total. The percentage using behavior management in treatment accounted for 62.4%. Approximately half of the patients continued regular clinic visits after treatment. These results suggest that our clinic is widely recognized as a higher order medical institution, implying that we should strive to strengthen coordination among areas in Hokkaido.
