Why trust matters in dentistry

Although we may not discuss it every day, trust is a key component in healthcare.  Patients are asked to trust their healthcare providers implicitly, and in some cases, put their lives in someone else’s hands. Research consistently demonstrates that increased trust is critical for successful medical and dental interventions.   While the topic of trust is complicated, there are several things the healthcare community can do to improve in this area.  As a health plan or provider, how do we earn and build trust?  What protocols are in place that are designed to strengthen our trust relationships with patients and members? Should trust be a centerpiece of every health plan and provider’s mission.

Without trust, patients cannot thrive and will not fully realize optimal medical or dental health.  That said, how do we modify our focus and face the challenge of improving and strengthening patient trust?

1. Meet patients where they are.
   Patient acceptance and trust increases when dental providers understand their patients’ cultures & ethnicities, respect their values, and appreciate their heritages.  Their cultural beliefs and backgrounds will impact how and when they seek treatment as well as their priorities for oral health.  Taking additional time to listen and learn about the patient’s expectations and concerns is especially important for dental providers since there is an overwhelming lack of diversity within the industry and many providers lack appropriate cultural competency training.
2. Make patient safety a priority. Patients who feel safe are more likely to have trust in their provider and dental practice.  COVID-19 has changed the way healthcare is delivered and patients are leery of many healthcare settings, including dental offices.  Dental providers should carefully itemize all of the safety steps their offices have taken to protect patients and deliberately go over these steps with each patient.  Health plans should regularly check in with their network providers with regard to COVID-19 precautions to ensure a safe member experience.
3. Use motivational interviewing. This is a useful technique to increase patient trust, engagement, and hopefully, evoke behavioral change.  The key to success with this technique is engaging the patient, asking questions and listening to their needs.  Through open-ended questions and affirmation of the patient’s responses, dental providers can build trust that leads to behavioral change and improved oral health outcomes.  Close observation of non-verbal cues and showing empathy during points of resistance are also important components of this technique of building trust.
4. Take a patient-centered approach. Engaging with patients to determine their needs will build trust but operationalizing the treatment plans developed from those needs is critical.  Trust is hard to gain, but easy to lose, and providers must ensure that treatment plans are developed in collaboration with patients as they prioritize their concerns along with the dentist.  Health plans must allow flexibility with covered benefits and payment structures to support non-traditional treatment plans and the diverse needs of patients.

What can we do?

At Delta Dental, we understand the need for our members to feel supported in a holistic manner by a provider that understands their values, culture and communication needs.  We provide Continuing Education (CE) courses designed to improve cultural competency with diverse populations.  These courses are a useful way for our provider network to increase their confidence in serving these patients, but also allowing the provider to earn CE credit required for licensure.  At Delta Dental, we also invest in the community to support movement toward a more diverse group of dental practitioners.  We support local and state training programs for dental providers to ensure that future generations of providers are linguistically and culturally diverse.  Community support for dental preparatory programs in K-12 schools and pipeline programs for undergraduate students will be critical to address the shifting needs and demographics of our members.   We also support growth for providers through Continuing Education programs and practice support to assist our network with treating members effectively.