Essential Question:
Do better tasting dental substances exist that could be used to initiate a higher quality patient experience at the dentist's office?
Do better tasting dental substances exist that could be used to initiate a higher quality patient experience at the dentist's office?
What I Needed To Know (Part One):
Once upon a time, I went to the dentist. On this particular dentist visit, I was informed that I would be getting sealants on my back molars to help prevent cavities. Not thinking much of it, I followed the dental hygienist back to the exam room and she started the treatment- and the worst twenty minutes of my life began. Now, you must know, I usually don’t mind going to the dentist at all, it’s never bothered or scared me like I know it does some people, but the sealants tasted so horrible that I couldn’t decide whether to cry or to bolt out of the office as soon as the hygienist turned her back. This is what initially inspired my research question. Are there options for dental treatments, like sealants, to improve their taste? If so, would that improve the overall dental patient experience? I was determined to find out.
What I Already Knew (Part Two):
There are two important facts that we already know. First of all, we know that oral health is important. Oral health plays a large part in how our bodies function and can even have an effect on fatal diseases, especially in elderly people. This means that regular dentist visits for everyone are necessary. Second of all, we know that many people dislike going to the dentist, for various reasons. The combination of these two facts leads to a conundrum. How can we ensure good oral health for everyone if many people don’t want to go to the dentist? Now, I must admit, I know very little about the flavors/tastes of dental substances, other than personal experience at the dentist. However, improving the flavor/taste of dental substances could possibly greatly improve patient experience at the dentist’s office.
My Search (Part Three):
I began my hunt for research on a broad scale, using key words such as "flavor", "dental materials", and "patient experience" to search through the scholarly search engines, Galileo and Questia. These search results led me to the sources I used for my Annotated Bibliographies (see here) and helped me to build a more well rounded understanding of my topic to give me a starting point to delve deeper into my topic. I found sources that provided insight on how a dentist feels about the taste of dental materials versus how a patient feels about the taste of dental materials, detailed information about prophy paste used by hygienists and the increase of various flavors over time, and discussed the worst tasting dental materials and why they tasted so badly. The last source stated that there are dental supply flavorings available that are manufactured specifically to improve the taste of bad tasting materials, showing that while better tasting dental substances do not necessarily exist, there are ways to make the materials taste better than they once did.
Along with this research, I conducted a survey at my mentorship of the patients to discover what they really thought in reference to my Essential Question. Through this, I found that the majority of patients believe the following:
1. Most dental materials definitely do taste bad.
2. Going to the dentist is a hassle but too important not to do.
3. If dental materials tasted better, appointments would be slightly more enjoyable.
Furthermore, I formally interviewed my mentor (see here) and also discussed with him my topic on multiple occasions. He told me that some dental materials taste bad because of the ingredients in them, but those ingredients are what allow for the dental material to do the unique job it is made to do such as take impressions or seal a molar. It is more important for the material to do what it is made to do than to be pleasantly tasting for the patient.
This information all came from sources that are experienced in the field of dentistry and are therefore very credible. However, there could be an element of bias in information given from a dentist if he/she believes that taste is not important for patient quality of experience.
What I Discovered (Part Four):
My initial assumptions and findings were quite similar. I assumed that there was a way to improve the taste of dental materials and I was correct. However, while using the flavorings to make some materials taste better could improve a patient’s experience, what is most important is that the dental material accomplishes the job it is made to do and the patient maintains good oral health.
This information could be applied to how dentists run their business and purchase their supplies. This could also lead to more research in order to discover how to manufacture dental supplies that do not need flavoring to taste pleasant but still accomplish the job that they are meant to do.