Abstract
As of fiscal year 2006, it became compulsory for all newly licensed dentists in Japan to undergo a year of practical training at one of the designated training facilities found throughout the country as part of their postgraduate programs. The goal of this training is for the trainees to acquire diagnostic and therapeutic skills. While officially trainees, they are nonetheless regarded as members of staff. Clinical training emphasizes improving both technical skills and theoretical knowledge. However, taking on such trainees is sometimes considered unprofitable, as work productivity is claimed to be low. The purpose of this study was to compare work outcomes and income generated between trainees and part-time dentists working at the Tokyo Dental College Suidobashi Hospital. The part-time dentists comprised clinical instructors and dentists responsible for outpatients. Postgraduate dental trainees also generally conduct dental treatment for outpatients. Therefore, part-time dentists were considered the most suitable for a control group. No significant difference was observed in the total number of patients seen by either group by the final term of clinical training. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed in insurance-based dental treatment unit income (insured care unit income) per patient between the two groups from the mid-term period of training onwards. These results suggest that, although the trainees were less efficient in terms of time taken to provide a diagnosis and treatment, their performance was almost equal when viewed from the viewpoint of insured care provided. Taken together, this suggests that time-related care efficiency must be increased and specific training policies and strategies developed to improve the work productivity of dental trainees.
