Background: It is recommended that dentists screen for dental anxiety (DA) so that fearful patients may be better managed. The main aim of this study was to determine what dentists are being taught in relation to DA as well as whether and how anxious patients are identified in the clinic. Methods: Two hundred and forty-six practising dentists (adjusted response rate = 40.1%), from a random sample of registered Australian dentists, completed a mailed questionnaire. Results: Dentists estimated that high DA affected 23.3% of children and 19.4% of adults seen. Only 3.7% of dentists reported using a published scale for screening DA, with the most common reason being lack of awareness (56.5%). Approximately one-half of responding dentists directly asked their patients about DA and this was more common among younger dentists (v 2 = 7.75, p = 0.021). There were few differences in DA screening by other practitioner or practice characteristics (p > 0.05). Only one-third of dentists had received undergraduate training related to DA and only 41.7% considered this to be 'good' or better. Almost 37% of respondents expressed an interest in future training opportunities. Conclusions: The use of formal, validated scales for screening DA is minimal. Training in anxiety management appears to be low and is an area that could be expanded upon.

These results highlight worrying issues around reporting concerns, with trainees often "silent witnesses" to poor performance in healthcare. Adverse events must provide opportunities for learning to improve future outcomes. Herein, ASiT proposes 14 recommendations to improve protection for trainees in raising patient safety concerns. These include the creation of a positive workplace culture, promoting the active involvement of trainees in quality improvement discussions, with clear mechanisms for trainees to raise concerns.

More than 1600 UHC members, staff, and supplier partners gathered in Orlando, Florida, for UHC's second annual member conference, a national showcase for performance improvement ideas in health care. The meeting is distinctive for its atmosphere of high-energy collaboration and idea sharing among the nation's academic medical centers (AMCs) and their network partners.

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