Dental professionals’ role perceptions in relation to periodontal (gum) disease explanations

Abstract

Objective: To use a discourse analysis approach to identify salient features in the lived experiences of dental professionals in relation to explaining periodontal (gum) disease to patients. Methods: Interview data from 13 UK-trained and three internationally-trained dental professionals was examined using thematic discourse analysis. The first stage (discourse analysis) focused on the identification of language patterns in the interview data. This stage forms the focus of this paper. Findings: Six discourse categories (Clinician, Collaborator, Educator, Rapport Builder, Mentor and Professional) were identified that related to the participants’ perceived professional roles. The categories were associated with differing worldviews and language use patterns, but with some overlap. All interviewees used a variety of discourse categories in their accounts, but a few relied predominantly on one category, e.g., Clinician or Mentor. Conclusions: The local discourse categories identified in this study reflect broader discourses in healthcare relating to the roles of providers and patients, which have evolved through time. Practice implications: Practising dental professionals are faced with a diverse range of patients who have different communication preferences. A suite of discourse categories can act as a ‘toolbox’ that dental professionals can flexibly draw on when needing to adopt a role that could predispose a particular patient to positive oral health behaviour change.