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Effective Communication and Empathy Skills in Dentistry for Better Dentist-

Patient Relationships

Article · December 2015

DOI: 10.17352/2394-8418.000020

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 Journal of Dental Problems and Solutions

Sushi Kadanakuppe* Editorial

Department of Public health Dentistry, V.S. Dental College
and Hospital, Bengaluru, India

Dates: Received: 30 December, 2015; Accepted:

Effective Communication and
30 December, 2015; Published: 31 December, 2015

*Corresponding author: Dr. Sushi Kadanakuppe,

Empathy Skills in Dentistry for
Better Dentist-Patient Relationships
Assistant Professor, Department of Public health
Dentistry, V.S. Dental College and Hospital,
Bengaluru-560004, Consultant: Life Skills
Education and Peer Education, Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports, RGNIYD, Government of India, neglected in our exchange with patients, is a good indicator of our
Sriperumbudur-602105. Tel: +91 9535205012;
success of establishing a relationship.
E-mail:

www.peertechz.com This process of communication requires the underlying concept

of empathy. Empathy can be described as an ability to imagine what
ISSN: 2394-8418
life is like for another person. Without empathy, our communication
with others will be one sided and we will be bound to face problems
Editorial in relationships as we will be indifferent to emotions of others [2]. It
is imperative that a dentist as an oral health physician has the skills
Dentistry being a part of health care profession bears the
of empathy for effective communication with patients. This aspect
responsibility of creating and nurturing good dentist-patient
of understanding patients’ feelings brings to picture the concept of
relationships. The doctor-patient relationships are essential dignity conserving care as proposed by Harvey Max Chochinov [3]. It
component of any health care profession especially so with dentistry. is also known as whole person care or psychosocial care. The intimate
Dental patients visit oral health professionals with a variety of oral connection between care provider’s affirmation and patient’s self-
health problems which hinders their quality of life. Seeking oral perception, underscores the basis of dignity conserving care [3]. A
health services from a dentist or an oral health care professional is dentist with empathy skills knows how his or her patient feels and
in most instances a necessity created by emergency dental problems is willing to provide emotional support. When the patient says,
which need immediate care. In other instances, especially in the “I feel lousy because my friends ridicule me for my bad breathe or
recent information era where patients are highly informed, patients crooked teeth” and the dentist is able to respond by saying, “Well, I
seek oral health services for both preventive and restorative care other understand how you feel. Let us work together about what’s wrong
than emergency dental problems. with your teeth and we will come to a treatment which may best
suit you”. This kind of reply from a dentist immediately will induce
With the rise in consumerism in dentistry, patients look for a
a sense of togetherness in patients. Empathy also helps in showing
dentist who is more patient-centered, person-focused rather than a
dignity and conserving the personhood of the patient.
doctor who exhibits characteristics of high physician control type. A
dentist who adopts the style of ‘person-focused’ will be more patient Another important aspect of dentist-patient relationship is
centric and hence more approachable [1]. The person-focused style involving the patient in the process of diagnosing the problem.
of a physician requires the dentist to embrace good communication Throughout the process of interview with patient, the orientation
and empathy skills. The necessary requirement of developing good of the dentist should be patient-focused. A patient-focused dentist
communication skills is not yet realized in dental teaching curricula will be open to a broader health care agenda with the patient and
in many dental schools especially in developing countries such as explores other possible issues. Such a dentist explores biological as
India. The learning and teaching atmosphere of dental schools should well as social and psychological issues during clinical information
incorporate training dental students in the area of communication gathering. The dentist who can connect with a patient on a personal
with patients. Communication with patients does not limit its level is more friendly and personable. This will help the patient to
scope to information exchange rather extends to include creating, share control of the interaction and dentist will be able to negotiate
nurturing and sustaining the doctor-patient relationship through options with the patient [1]. Scambler and Asimakopoulou proposed
the entire process of establishing cognitive connection with patients, a model for Patient Centered Care, wherein Shared Decision Making
drawing diagnosis, planning and consensus on treatment options, is a fundamental aspect [4].
and especially on patient compliance with the treatment plan. Dentists should encourage patients to participate in decisions
Communication process is the entire cycle of passing the message by and check their willingness and ability to follow the treatment
a sender to a receiver and it is understood to be complete only when plan. Wherever necessary dentist should provide resources and
the sender receives the feedback from the receiver. The feedback support for the patients. Involving the patient in decision making
process ensures the passage of message to the receiver. Patient towards planning a treatment for his/her oral health problem places
compliance with the treatment plan agreed upon by both dentist responsibility on the patient equally and helps increase compliance.
and the patient is an indication of this ‘feedback’ component of the This essentially nurtures the relationship and also helps build a
communication process. Hence feedback, which is most commonly culture of kindness in the dental hospital set up [5].

Citation: Kadanakuppe S (2015) Effective Communication and Empathy Skills in Dentistry for Better Dentist-Patient Relationships. J Dent Probl Solut 2(3):
058-059. DOI: 10.17352/2394-8418.000020
058
Kadanakuppe (2015)

An effective communication provides benefits both for patients of dental teachers in dental teaching institutions to inculcate these
and dentists [6]. Benefits for patients are mainly patient satisfaction characteristic skills and be the role models for future dentists.
and compliance. Higher levels of patient satisfaction and compliance
are seen to be associated with physician’s nonverbal communication
References
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Copyright: © 2015 Ozbek SM, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Citation: Kadanakuppe S (2015) Effective Communication and Empathy Skills in Dentistry for Better Dentist-Patient Relationships. J Dent Probl Solut 2(3):
058-059. DOI: 10.17352/2394-8418.000020
059

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