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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the patient's and dentist's perception of quality. A group of 117 patients completed a questionnaire which rated their perceptions of the quality of their prior dental treatment. Each patient was given a thorough dental examination, and all restorations were evaluated for 14 criteria of quality. A dental quality index was calculated for each patient, and this was correlated with the patient's overall satisfaction and also with the patient's perception of quality of treatment. Both correlations indicated that no relationship existed between these two perceptions of quality. It was concluded that patients and dentists were looking at different criteria when judging quality of dental care.

A total of 416 adults were interviewed by telephone to gauge their attitudes toward dentistry and dentists. Attitudes of those age 55 and older were compared with those younger than age 55. It was found that 72% of those 55 and older had not visited a dentist in the previous 2 years because they felt it was not necessary; 38.5% of respondents younger than 55 gave this reason. Only 15% of those 55 and older reported that high costs kept them away from the dentist.

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