Patient Preferences for Dental Clinical Attire: A Cross-Sectional Survey in a Dental Hospital

Aim: To assess the patient opinion towards dental clinical attire, name badges and commonly used cross-infection control measures in the dental hospital. Method: Patients attending the dental hospital were asked to complete a questionnaire accompanied by photographs of models portraying a range of clinical attire. A representative sample of patients completed questionnaires over a 10 week period. Results: The study found that 42% of the patients felt clinical attire was very important and 94.1% preferred dental professionals to wear name badges. The majority of patients also preferred dentists to use both safety glasses (75.3%) and face masks (94.4%)). Conclusion: Wearing professional dress of scrubs with apron while providing patient care by dentists may favorably influence trust and confidence-building in the dental patients.