Aspects of Control in the Dentist-Patient Relationship

Dentists' control over their patients through verbal interaction was studied, by observing 125 dentist-patient consultations (involving 12 dentists & 120 patients) in northwestern England. The factors contributing to a dentist's control are expertise, domination of the amount & frequency of talking, & lack of acknowledgement of a patient's description of the symptoms. Time constraints explain part of the dentists' control over interaction. However, dismissals of patients' self-reports, which dentists ritualistically request, foster the patients' belief that they cannot contribute to their own dental care, & may explain why patients often fail to follow dentists' advice. 7 Tables, 3 Figures, 15 References. D. Graves