A Proposed Model for Dental Services Management in Iran

Oral health is an integral part of general health and one of the necessities of a good life. Having a healthy mouth and teeth requires individual care, the development and implementation of community-based intervention programs, and professional care. The purpose of this study was to design a model for the management of dental services in Iran.

This was an applied research in terms of purpose, descriptive in terms of implementation method, and a survey research in terms of descriptive typology. The statistical population included dental experts. To conduct the study among policy makers, planners, managers, university professors and the staff of the dental services, dental experts were chosen using purposive non-probability sampling for in-depth interviews based on grounded theory method to collect indicators of dental services management for providing a suitable selection model. To reach theoretical saturation, the text of the interviews was analyzed, phrase by phrase and sentence by sentence, through constant comparative analysis. For analysis, the grounded theory method was used, and the collected data were coded in 3 steps. In order to assess the validity of the research regarding interviews, the participants' feedback and the opinions of colleagues were used. To ensure the reliability of the interviews, 2 methods of test-retest and double coding were used. In this study, Delphi method was used in designing the model.

According to the obtained model, 29 factors were effective in managing dental services. The obtained indicators were included in the Delphi survey. During the Delphi stages, consensus was reached on 29 indicators  which were classified into 5 dimensions (components) including planning, organizing, mobilizing of resources and facilities, guiding, monitoring and controlling.

The results of the study showed that a 5-component model is suitable for the management of dental services in Iran, and health planners and policy makers can use it to improve the delivery of dental services.