The 1994 Hong Kong Dental Practice Profile Survey

Abstract

This study was conducted under the auspices of the Hong Kong Dental Association at the end of 1994. The main objectives were to describe the practice characteristics, the workload, the mix of services delivered, and the treatment fee schedule of private dentists in Hong Kong. A 50% random sample was drawn from the list of registered dentists kept by the Hong Kong Dental Council. Dentists working full-time in the government or in the Prince Philip Dental Hospital were excluded. Questionnaires were sent out by mail, followed by a reminder letter a month later and follow-up telephone calls. Completed questionnaires were returned by 205 dentists and the response rate was 50.1%. Results showed that most of the dentists were self-employed and in solo practice. They spent a mean of 43.8 hours per week on dental practice and on average 70.9% of the clinic time was spent on patient treatment. Nearly half of the dentists replied that they were not busy. About a quarter of the dentists' clinic time was classified as unfilled appointments which may be taken to indicate that there was a problem of under-utilization of the existing dental manpower. Their mix of services was dominated by restorative and rehabilitative treatments. There were great variations in the net monthly income of the dentists and their usual treatment charges. Compared to the findings of the 1989 survey, only little changes in the dentist's practice characteristics, patient load and mix of sevices were found.