Journal vol.3 no.1 abstract2 of The Japan Health Care Dental Association

The Journal of The Japan Health Care Dental Association Vol.3 No.1, 2001
abstract

Executive board of the Japan Health Care Dental Association

With the cooperation of 39 dental clinics of the board members of The Japan Health Care Dental Association, a Survey on Dental Practice was conducted utilizing questionnaire sheets targeted visiting patients. The object of this survey was to research how dental practice of each clinic being evaluated by patients, the purchaser of the service. The questionnaire sheet filled by individual patient was directly mailed to the third-party institution for analysis. Total 9,024 questionnaire sheets were distributed to all patients for a set period. The response rate was 56.87%. It should be noted, however, that the samples surveyed comprises visiting patients of dental clinics where adopt regular check-up systems unpopular in Japan.

The results were as the followings:

1. The rate of visiting patients due to health management was 35.2%.
2. Over 40% replied "home doctor" as the reason of their choice of the dental clinics.
3. The most highly rated item as the information patients wish to get about dental clinics was "reputation"; 34.2%.
4. 46.5% had an experience of visiting clinics for health maintenance not for treatment, among them, those who showed willingness of continuing "regular check-up" occupied 94.9%.

Apart from the above summarized results, a great difference among dental clinics was observed about evaluation of several items including quality of provided services and the amount of "willingness to pay" for dental services. This is an interesting facts also disclosed from this survey.