Treatment in urgent dental care: an ethnographic study
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN13646400 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13646400 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | 32833 |
- Submission date
- 20/03/2017
- Registration date
- 22/06/2017
- Last edited
- 09/04/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Oral Health
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims:
Nearly one-in-three people choose to see a dentist only when they have a dental problem, such as toothache or abscess. Urgent dental treatment is focused on addressing pain and stabilising the problem; it is usually delivered within high-street dental practices or out-of-hours dental clinics. According to clinical guidelines, optimal treatment for urgent dental problems usually involves an intervention, such as extraction of a tooth. Prescription-only treatment plans, such as for painkillers or antibiotics, are rarely indicated. Published research provides some evidence (from interviews with clinicians) to explain why provision of urgent dental care often does not comply with clinical guidelines. The aim of this study is to identify what factors in dentist-patient interactions influence treatment during actual urgent dental appointments.
Who can participate?
Adults attending an urgent NHS dental appointment (and chaperone if used) and the clinician treating them.
What does the study involve?
All patients attend their appointments as they usually would. Each appointment is audio-recorded and the clinicians are asked to complete short questionnaires after each one. In-depth study of a selection of cases involves analysis of the recordings, observation notes and questionnaires, together with follow-up interviews with patients and clinicians.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no direct benefits for patient or chaperone participants; clinicians will be reimbursed for the time taken delivering the study which is in excess of time spent normally treating patients. There are no direct risks involved with participating.
Where is the study run from?
Six General Dental Practices and two Unscheduled Dental Care clinics across Lancashire and West Yorkshire (UK)
When is study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2015 to March 2018
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Ms Wendy Thompson
dnwt@leeds.ac.uk
Contact information
Public
School of Dentistry
University of Leeds
Worsley Building
Clarendon Way
Leeds
LS2 9JT
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-6799-4087 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 113 343 9214 |
| dnwt@leeds.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Observational; Design type: Qualitative |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study setting(s) | GP practice |
| Study type | Other |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | Which factors in dentist-patient interactions influence treatment in urgent dental care? |
| Study acronym | TRUCE |
| Study objectives | The aim of this study is to assess which factors in dentist-patient interactions influence treatment in urgent dental care. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Bradford/Leeds REC, 09/02/2017, ref: 16/YH/0487 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Specialty: Oral and dental health, Primary sub-specialty: Oral and dental public health; UKCRC code/ Disease: Oral and Gastrointestinal/ Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws |
| Intervention | Patient participants will be recruited when they present for urgent dental care appointments. Following initial consent (from the patient and also anyone else who they bring with them into the appointment), appointments will be observed and/or audiorecorded. Urgent NHS dental appointments usually take between 10 and 20 minutes. Patients may be contacted (up to three months after their appointment) for follow-up telephone interview which will last around 30 minutes. Clinician participants (dentists and dental nurses) will be observed/audio-recorded during 16 dental appointment. At the end of each appointment, each clinician will complete a very short questionnaire (taking less than 30 seconds). Follow-up telephone interview with a selection of the clinicians will also take place up to three months after the appointments. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Identification of factors in the dentist:patient interaction which influence urgent dental treatment, through analysis of transcripts of urgent dental appointments; observation field notes, clinician questionnaires and Interviews with patients and clinicians. |
| Secondary outcome measures | No secondary outcome measures |
| Overall study start date | 01/10/2015 |
| Completion date | 31/03/2018 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | Planned Sample Size: 192; UK Sample Size: 192 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Patient Participant Inclusion Criteria: 1. Aged over 18 years 2. Attending an urgent NHS dental appointment 3. Able and willing to provide valid consent to participate in the research Chaperone Participant Inclusion Criteria 1. Aged over18 years 2. In attendance during an urgent NHS dental appointment 3. Able and willing to provide valid consent to participate in the research Clinician Participant Inclusion Criteria: 1. Registered with the GDC 2. Professional indemnity is in place and covers any activity undertaken during the course of this research, including any harm to participants in the conduct of the research 3. Willing to provide valid consent to participate in the research |
| Key exclusion criteria | Patient Participant Exclusion Criteria: 1. Currently experiencing severe or debilitating pain or distress 2. Attending for routine dental treatment 3. Attending for private dental treatment 4. Accompanied during their appointment by a chaperone who is a minor (< 18 years) 5. Accompanied during their appointment by a chaperone who is not able and willing to provide valid consent to participate in the research. Clinician Participant Exclusion Criteria: 1. Provides only private dental treatment to adult patients 2. Currently subject to any condition on their registration (including from the NHS England Area Team and the General Dental Council). Any registrant who subsequently becomes subject to any condition during the course of the research will agree to notify the CI in a timely fashion. |
| Date of first enrolment | 30/05/2017 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/08/2017 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Victoria Road
Bradford
BD18 3LD
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
School of Dentistry
Worsley Building
Clarendon Way
Leeds
LS2 9JT
England
United Kingdom
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/024mrxd33 |
|---|
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/12/2019 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The final study report will form part of the Chief Investigator’s PhD thesis which will be made publically available through the British Library’s EThOS (e-Theses Online Service) database; it is anticipated that this will be during 2019. Publications by the CI in high-quality, peer-reviewed dental journals are also planned in a similar timeframe. A Plain English summary of research findings will be prepared at the end of the study and made available for participating practices, clinicians, patients (who have given contact details for this during the consent process) and other patient advocacy organisations interested in the research. 2019 results in thesis http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/25384/ (added 11/12/2019) |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Research Data Leeds. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 04/09/2020 | 09/04/2021 | Yes | No | |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No |
Editorial Notes
09/04/2021: Publication reference added.
11/12/2019: Publication reference added.
11/03/2019: Internal review.
06/11/2017: The ISRCTN prospective/retrospective flag compares the date of registration with the recruitment start date and does not include any grace period. The registration of this study was requested through the NIHR Portfolio and was finalised within 6 months of the recruitment starting.
23/06/2017: Internal review.
