 I hope that Japan Academy of Esthetic Dentistry will be a reliable organization that comes up to the expectations of the society. No matter what expertise and treatment techniques dentists may have, they cannot be regarded as performing their principal duties as dentists unless they obtain social support, answering patients' expectations and affording satisfactions.Patients' satisfaction is subject not only to the therapeutic details but also to the cost they have to bear. For example, patients will be dissatisfied when the details of treatment are insufficient even if the medical cost is covered by insurance. Meanwhile, patients will be satisfied when the result is satisfactory even if the cost is considerably high from a general point of view. The result of the Nikkei BP questionnaire was surprising. 77% of patients who visited dental offices for treatment had unpleasant experience and were dissatisfied with the treatment, of which 51% were dissatisfied with the therapeutic effect and 44% answered that the conditions of their teeth are dissatisfactory and the information about the future treatment was insufficient. In addition, 70% of dissatisfied patients changed the dental office. To say that "there are too many dentists" may be logical for dentistry offerers, and good dentists that patients desire are insufficient. The respondents to the questionnaire cited dentists' choice of words and attitude as some of the reasons for their dissatisfaction. According to the result of questionnaire, the only solution dentists can find seems to be appropriate informed consent, which sounds very natural. Explanation of the treatment cost is a matter of course, and prediction of the result of treatment seems to be also indispensable for attaining patients' satisfaction. Great expectations of patients are peculiar to esthetic dentistry. Patients can judge by themselves the result of treatment to a certain extent. Failure in meeting patients' expectations sufficiently can cause trouble easily. Conversely, dentists can give great satisfaction, which will allow dentists to gain patients' total trust. I believe that the members of this Academy will give full play to their abilities as professionals of esthetic dentistry, improving the social evaluation of Japan Academy of Esthetic Dentistry. I will be happy if I can be of some help toward more energetic activities, and I solicit for your guidance and cooperation. I hope every one of our members will play an important role as a member of Japan Academy of Esthetic Dentistry in making our Academy better known to the society.
Junji Tagami |