The research, carried out by Enventure Research on behalf of the
General Dental Council(GDC), also found high levels of confidence in the GDC as a regulator.
87% of respondents felt that a dental professional “was likely to provide an explanation to a patient when something had gone wrong in their care or treatment.”
A similar question was asked in the GDC's 2013 patient and public survey; fewer patients than dental professionals thought that an explanation was very likely (19% of patients compared with 39% of professionals).
This year 37% of dental professionals are optimistic about the future of dentistry, an increase of 2% from the previous year.
Less than a third of dental professionals were pessimistic about the future of dentistry (31% compared to 33% last year).
The most common area of optimism suggested was learning and development which was suggested by a significantly larger proportion of dental nurses.
The most common areas of pessimism suggested were changes in regulation, financial issues and the new NHS dental contract, all of which were suggested by a greater proportion of dentists.
The annual registrant survey was sent to a representative sample of dentists and dental care professionals (DCPs) across the UK in late 2013. The survey also included five focus groups across the UK and 24 in-depth interviews.
67% of the dental professionals who took part in the survey are confident that the
GDCis regulating dentistry effectively, with 26% saying they were not.
Some dental professionals have higher levels of confidence in the GDC than others, with 81% of dental hygienists confident in the GDC's effectiveness, compared to 57% of dental technicians.
The survey found that confidence was associated with length of time on the register, with recently registered dental professionals much more likely to be confident than those who have been on the register for longer.
Nearly half of dental professionals (46%) said that they had come across an issue that they felt should have been raised as a concern. The vast majority of dental professionals (88%) said that they knew where to raise a concern.
Dental professionals are more likely to have raised a concern to someone in their workplace (39%) than to the
GDC(5%).
The 2013 Annual Survey of more than 3,600 dental professionals is available to read in full on the GDC website.