Trends of Outpatients in Tohoku University Dental Hospital

— A Survey on Patient Attitude to Our Clinical Training and Education System —

Abstract

This study was carried out to collect and analyze the data obtained from patients to establish the ideal education system for clinical training at university dental hospitals.
For this purpose, we obtained the information from the outpatients who visited the Tohoku University Dental Hospital using a questionnaire for our education and clinical training system.
The following results were obtained.
(1) “Referral from general practitioner” was the most common reason for visiting our hospital for new patients and patients aged younger than 40, while “reliable treatment” was the most common reason for revisiting patients and patients aged over 40.
(2) Most patients accepted the treatment and observation by interns and undergraduate students regardless of generation. Revisiting patients refused to see them less than new patients.
(3) The permissible time for clinical training purposes was longer in revisiting patients and patients aged over 50 compared with new patients and patients aged younger than 50, respectively.
These results suggested that elderly and revisiting patients were more cooperative with our clinical training program than younger and newer patients through the assurance of extensive safety and conscientiousness regarding treatment.