Dentists’ Personal Characteristics And Patient Satisfaction In A Dental Hospital

Background: The quality of dental care is determined not only by technical competence but also by dentists’ personal characteristics that shape communication, patient safety, and trust. Objective: To analyze the association between dentists’ personal characteristics and patient satisfaction at the Dental and Oral Hospital of Institut Ilmu Kesehatan Bhakti Wiyata, Kediri.

Method: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2025. Ninety-five patients aged at least 17 years who had received care from general or specialist dentists were selected using random sampling. Dentists’ personal characteristics were assessed using 15 items covering openness to criticism, stress management, self-control, self-confidence, and psychological awareness. Patient satisfaction was measured using a Likert scale. As both variables were non-normally distributed, Spearman correlation was applied.

Result: The mean personal-characteristics score was 70.03±4.05 (range 57-75), and mean patient satisfaction was 4.39±0.51. Fifty-six patients (58.9%) were satisfied, 38 (40.0%) were very satisfied, and one (1.1%) was neutral. Dentists’ personal characteristics were positively correlated with patient satisfaction (rₛ=0.333; p=0.001).

Conclusion: Dentists’ personal characteristics were positively associated with patient satisfaction, with a weak-to-moderate correlation. Communication, receptiveness to feedback, stress management, and empathy should be incorporated into service-quality improvement.