Acta Odontologica Turcica (Jan 2019)

Patient satisfaction at the endodontic clinics of the Faculty of Dentistry at Gazi University: a questionnaire study

  • Ruhigül Aydın,
  • Bülent Altunkaynak,
  • Güven Kayaoğlu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17214/gaziaot.459171
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 36, no. 1
pp. 21 – 27

Abstract

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Objective: To evaluate the patient satisfaction at the different clinics of the Department of Endodontics of the Faculty of Dentistry at Gazi University. The evaluations were aimed for each individual clinic, and comparisons were also done among the clinics. Materials and Method: The study was carried out at the undergraduate clinic and the two graduate clinics (routine clinic and special clinic) during the spring term of 2018. Scheduled endodontic patients, aged ≥18 years and providing consent for participation were included. The patients’ demographic data and their levels of emphasis they placed on 8 questionnaire items and their satisfaction levels were asked before and after the treatment, respectively. A 5-point Likert scale was used. Chi-square test for categorical variables, Wilcoxon test for inter-group comparisons, and Kruskal-Wallis H and Dunn’s multiple comparisons tests for intra-group comparisons were employed (α=0.05). Results: Two hundred fifty-nine valid questionnaires were obtained (statistical power ≥%95). No significant relationship was found between the clinics and the demographic variables (p>0.05). In all the inter-group comparisons, the graduates’ routine and special clinics were similar (p>0.05); however, for most of the items, the undergraduate clinic was significantly different from and inferior to the graduate clinics (p<0.05 or p<0.01). In intra-group comparisons, the satisfaction scores of the graduates’ clinics were always greater than the emphasis scores (positive values). Contrarily, mostly negative values were obtained at the undergraduate clinic (5/8). The median satisfaction score was always 5 (very good) for the graduates’ clinics, and 4 (good) or 5 for the undergraduates’ clinic. Conclusion: The patients rated their satisfaction for the endodontic clinics of the Faculty of Dentistry at Gazi University mostly as good or very good. The patients’ satisfaction for the graduate clinics was greater than that of the undergraduate clinic.

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