For many dental professionals, a desire to help others improve their health and quality of life are major motivations for getting into the profession in the first place. It is an exciting, fast-paced and challenging career choice, with new innovations, clinical research and technologies constantly being introduced. As such, you have numerous opportunities to feed your passions as a dentist and consistently advance your capabilities. The key is to do all this while keeping patient care at the forefront, driving skill development as a way to continuously improve the clinical treatment and patient experience delivered. Where you work will have a significant impact on your ability to achieve all this.
What it’s all about
The delivery of patient-centric care is broadly defined as:[i]
- Respect for patients’ values, preferences and express needs
- The provision of relevant information and education
- Access to quality care
- Emotional support to help reduce fear and anxiety
- Encouraging the involvement of family and friends where appropriate
- Continuity of care and a seamless transition between settings
- Optimised physical comfort through practice design considerations
- Coordination of care during referrals, for example
In combining the above, dental professionals can ensure that patients receive the highest standard of care with the smoothest treatment experience possible. There is evidence that achieving this leads to improved clinical outcomes and increased patient satisfaction in healthcare environments.[ii]
Building solid foundations
Several of the points listed above are based on excellent communication, which is the foundation for building strong dentist-patient rapport. This must be a two-way conversation, allowing the exchange of information, ideas, concerns and queries in both directions. From the dentist’s perspective, it’s important to cover the 5 Cs[iii] – clarity, correctness, conciseness, completeness and cohesiveness – delivering the right information in a way that the patient can understand.
Non-verbal communication is just as relevant as verbal. For some patients – such as neurodivergent individuals – it may even be more important for encouraging their engagement during dental appointments. Research suggests that this group of patients may benefit from augmentative or alternative communication methods like manual signals or illustrations.[iv] Visual aids can also prove useful for a broad range of patients, helping them better comprehend their treatment needs.[v]
This high-quality communication must extend to all members of the team as well. Whether a patient is seeing different professionals within the same practice or is being referred elsewhere, the sharing of all relevant information is crucial for the continuity of their care. It will facilitate a smooth transitional period as patients undergo advanced diagnostic imaging or see different specialists as part of a multidisciplinary treatment plan.
Achieving excellence
It is also essential to ensure that clinical excellence is maintained throughout every treatment journey offered at the practice. This necessitates a combination of cutting-edge technology and evidence-based techniques, as well as tried and tested materials. Working with trusted industry suppliers and ensuring that you as a dentist have the clinical autonomy to deliver treatment in your patients’ best interests are integral to this.
It is just as important to maintain comprehensive professional training, allowing you to remain abreast of the latest ideas, concepts and conversations in the profession. This is compounded by having access to a network of likeminded professionals with a passion for excellence, who are willing to openly share experiences and best practices for the development of all.
Working with Clyde Munro affords all this and so much more. We understand exactly what it means to deliver exceptional, patient-centred care, offering state-of-the-art technologies, a choice of proven materials, and upgraded practice facilities. We also have dedicated infrastructure to provide support to our dentists, who also have complete clinical autonomy. In addition, our purpose-built training academy hosts an array of internal and externally-presented courses for practitioners at all stages of their careers.
Built for patients
Putting patients first is not just about offering high-quality dentistry. This is crucial, but it must be accompanied by measures to create a supportive, respectful, safe and comfortable treatment experience. For clinicians who put their patients first, finding the right environment in which to work is vital.
To find out more about the career development opportunities available at Clyde Munro, please visit https://careers.clydemunrodental.com/
Author: Jo Hood. Head of Clinical Recruitment & Development at Clyde Munro Dental Group
[i] Davis K, Schoenbaum SC, Audet AM. A 2020 vision of patient-centered primary care. J Gen Intern Med. 2005 Oct;20(10):953-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.0178.x. PMID: 16191145; PMCID: PMC1490238.
[ii] Kuipers, S.J., Cramm, J.M. & Nieboer, A.P. The importance of patient-centered care and co-creation of care for satisfaction with care and physical and social well-being of patients with multi-morbidity in the primary care setting. BMC Health Serv Res 19, 13 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3818-y
[iii] Singfield A. The Five C’s of Effective Communication. Vista Projects. Available from: https://www.vistaprojects.com/effective-communication/. [Accessed July 2025]
[iv] Suri N. Neurodivergent non-verbal communication techniques: a pedagogical study. Journal of Informatics Education and Research. ISSN: 1526-4726. Vol 4 Issue 3 (2024) https://jier.org/index.php/journal/article/download/1930/1618/3363#:~:text=Individuals%20with%20neurodivergent%20disorder%20frequently,may%20occur%20in%20various%20manners%3A&text=Difficulty%20in%20Recognizing%20Facial%20Expressions,interpret%2C%20leading%20to%20potential%20misunderstandings. [Accessed July 2025]
[v] Schulz-Weidner N, Gruber M, Schraml EM, Wöstmann B, Krämer N, Schlenz MA. Improving the Communication of Dental Findings in Pediatric Dentistry by Using Intraoral Scans as a Visual Aid: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Dent J (Basel). 2024 Jan 17;12(1):15. doi: 10.3390/dj12010015. PMID: 38248223; PMCID: PMC10814675.
