Dental News - Swedish study investigates care satisfaction among foreign-born patients

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 25. August 2016

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GOTHENBURG, Sweden: Owing to the refugee crisis and growing numbers of immigrants, health providers are facing increasing challenges in meeting the needs of residents who are not fully competent in the national language or are not yet familiar with cultural norms and habits. A Swedish study has now aimed to examine whether there are differences in the experience of communication and care between native-born and foreign-born patients treated in the Swedish Public Dental Service.

In the study, 204 patients from four public dental clinics in Gothenburg were asked to complete the Dental Visit Satisfaction Scale, which measures different aspects of the dentist–patient relationship from the perspective of the patient. Furthermore, the survey included items concerning communication and care, as well as background information, such as age and education. Questionnaires were available in English, Swedish, Arabic and Farsi. Of the participants, 47 per cent were native Swedes and 53 per cent had been born elsewhere.

The analysis showed that Swedish-born participants were significantly older, had higher education and more regular dental care habits compared with the immigrant group. In addition, native Swedes reported greater dental anxiety than their foreign counterparts did.

Regarding treatment perception, fewer foreigners than Swedes thought that the dentist treated them in the same manner as he or she would treat other patients. According to the researchers, this applied particularly to participants who had lived in Sweden for more than five years. Furthermore, foreign-born patients were more sceptical about the dentist’s technical competence.

Otherwise, foreign-born patients were as satisfied with the information and communication they received from the dentist as those born in Sweden were. Overall, differences between the two groups were smaller than might have been expected in view of probable language difficulties and differences in dental care background, the researchers concluded.

The study, titled “Native-born versus foreign-born patients’ perception of communication and care in Swedish dental service”, was published in the Swedish Dental Journal (Vol. 40, Issue 1).

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