DPH Resident and MSD Candidate BUGSDM BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Disclosure(s):
Deepa Verma, DENTIST: No financial relationships to disclose
Description: The aim of this roundtable is to discuss ways to evaluate what factors may be associated with patients not returning to a dental school clinic after their first visit. We have experienced that many patients do not return after their first visit; possibly resulting in poorer oral health for the patients and difficulty in maintaining an efficient teaching clinic. Missed appointments also impact the ability of dental schools to effectively educate their students in the provision of comprehensive care. Dental school clinics accept public and private insurance and have lower fee schedules. However, appointments are often longer, and more time is needed to complete treatment. We hope to find out how these factors and others play a role in patient retention and how we can improve services at our school. At this roundtable the attendees will learn about the steps that the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is taking to learn more about the reasons that patients do not follow through with treatment at their clinics. We will discuss the survey that we developed, and the methods used to reach out to this patient cohort. We will also discuss the information we have collected and the challenges in getting it. Please join us to brainstorm more ideas and any experiences you have had in this area.
