Developing a Framework for Patient-Centered Dental Treatment Planning

Thesis Abstract

Patient-centered care has emerged as a pivotal paradigm in contemporary dentistry, emphasizing the importance of aligning treatment plans with individual patient preferences, needs, and values to enhance clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Despite its recognized benefits, there remains a lack of structured frameworks guiding dental practitioners in implementing truly patient-centered treatment planning processes. This study aims to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based framework to facilitate patient-centered dental treatment planning, filling a critical gap in current clinical practice and academic literature. The specific objectives are to identify core components influencing patient-centeredness in dental decision-making, examine the contextual factors affecting implementation, and formulate a practical model adaptable across diverse dental clinical settings. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to achieve a holistic understanding of the variables involved. The qualitative phase involves semi-structured interviews with 30 experienced general dentists and specialists from five dental clinics within the country, analyzed through thematic analysis to extract key themes around attitudes, perceived barriers, and facilitators of patient-centered approaches. This phase aims to generate data-driven insights into the practical considerations and contextual influences shaping current treatment planning practices. The quantitative phase encompasses a survey administered to a stratified random sample of 300 dental practitioners, designed to quantify attitudes towards patient-centered care, perceived competence, and institutional support, with data analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore relationships and validate the proposed framework components. The study draws theoretical guidance from the Patient-Centered Care Model (PCCM) and the Health Belief Model (HBM), integrating constructs such as patient autonomy, shared decision-making, and practitioner-patient communication strategies. It also critically evaluates prior empirical studies that have explored patient preferences, practitioner attitudes, and clinical outcomes associated with patient-centered approaches, identifying gaps related to the lack of a structured framework that synthesizes these elements into actionable guidelines accommodating diverse practice environments. Expected findings include identification of key dimensions such as communication skills, cultural competence, information sharing, and decision-making involvement, alongside contextual factors like clinician workload, institutional policies, and patient literacy levels. The validated framework is anticipated to comprise domain-specific modules facilitating assessment of patient preferences, clinician preparedness, and systemic barriers, ultimately guiding the development of patient-centered treatment plans. The model will be adaptable for use across general dental practice, orthodontics, periodontics, and other specialties, promoting a standardized yet flexible approach to patient-centered care. This research significantly contributes to the body of knowledge by translating theoretical principles into a practical framework that can be adopted in clinical settings to improve patient engagement, satisfaction, and treatment efficacy. The study’s findings will inform dental education curricula, policy formulation, and professional development programs aimed at fostering a culture of patient-centeredness. Concluding, the research advocates for the integration of the developed framework into routine dental practice, emphasizing the need for targeted training and institutional support to embed patient-centered principles systematically. Recommendations include incorporating the framework into dental curriculum modules, conducting further validation studies across different populations and practice models, and evaluating its impact on clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction indices. Future studies should explore longitudinal assessments of framework implementation to determine its scalability and sustainability within evolving dental healthcare systems.