Association Between Patient Behavior and Clinician Emotional Burden, Perceived Performance, and Decision-Making in Implant Dentistry: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Clinicians.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the association between patient behavior and clinician emotional burden, perceived clinical performance, interaction difficulty, and decision-making in implant dentistry.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A cross-sectional online questionnaire was distributed via individual invitations to 150 dental professionals involved in implant dentistry. A total of 127 clinicians completed the survey (response rate: 84.7%). The questionnaire assessed demographic and professional characteristics, clinicians' perceptions of patient behavior, emotional responses, and the perceived impact of patient-related factors on clinical performance and decision-making. Composite domains for emotional burden and interaction difficulty were developed, and their internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's α. Associations were evaluated using Spearman's correlation and linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

More challenging patient behavior was significantly associated with increased emotional burden (ρ = 0.50, p < 0.001) and interaction difficulty (ρ = 0.46, p < 0.001). Similar findings were observed when patient behavior was compared with usual clinical cases (both p < 0.001). Procedural difficulty showed only weak or non-significant associations with emotional burden and interaction difficulty. Emotional burden was strongly associated with interaction difficulty (ρ = 0.84, p < 0.001), avoidance of scheduling similar patients (ρ = 0.47, p < 0.001), and lower perceived clinical performance (ρ = 0.27, p = 0.002). Regression analyses confirmed that patient behavior was significantly associated with emotional burden (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patient behavior appears to be associated with clinician emotional burden and perceived clinical performance more strongly than case difficulty in implant dentistry.