Qualitative Research on the Background of Long-term Maintenance Patients

Abstract

 Purpose: To maintain healthy oral function, continued maintenance is very important after active therapy. However, in Japan, the maintenance consultation rate is remarkably low compared with those in other developed countries. This study analyzed the relationship between the long-term maintenance and the patient background factors in an effort to identify ways to increase the maintenance consultation rate in Japan.
 Methods: Thirty long-term maintenance patients were interviewed, and the interviews were recorded on video. The conversation between the patient and interviewer was converted to text from the video, and the data were analyzed qualitatively with the Steps for Coding and Theorization (SCAT) method.
 Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.7 years old, and the average maintenance duration was 10.4 years. The majority (93.1%) of patients cared about their dietary habits, and 79.3% of the patients understood the importance of physical activity. All the patients wished to continue the maintenance, and 75.9% of them had good feelings about the dental clinic staff. However, recognition of the description of primary prevention was low, with only 24.1% of the patients responding.
 Conclusion: The long-term maintenance patients had a high level of awareness of their health and good feelings about the dental clinic staff. To increase the maintenance consultation rate, it is suggested that oral hygienists who are the main staff for maintenance are important.