• Kathleen D Buss, David K Schindler, Steven A Matis, Gabriela V Lopez Mitnik, Shahdokht Boroumand, and Bruce A Dye.
• Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Falls Church, VA 22042, USA.
• Mil Med. 2023 Nov 3; 188 (11-12): e3506e3513e3506-e3513.

IntroductionAn objective of the Military Health System is to deliver an improved health care experience. Patient satisfaction affects the patient experience, health outcomes, and treatment compliance. The purpose of this study is to identify indicators of high and low patient satisfaction within a military dental setting.Materials And MethodsDe-identified data from 248,342 responses to the DoD Dental Patient Satisfaction Survey conducted from October 2014 to March 2016 were used. The overall satisfaction and other related outcomes were analyzed by age, sex, beneficiary status, current rank, current Service, type of dental treatment, clinic location, and clinic size. Unpaired t-tests and logistic regression modeling were used to ascertain relationships between various aspects of patient satisfaction and variables of interest.ResultsOverall, 96% of patients attending military dental clinics were satisfied, whereas 72% of patients were satisfied with the number of days waited for an appointment. Air Force patients were the most satisfied compared to their Army, Navy, and Marine Corps counterparts. Patients treated in small dental clinics (less than 5 dentists) were 74% more satisfied than patients treated at large dental clinics (more than 12 dentists). Patients seeking routine dental treatment were significantly more satisfied with the number of days waiting for an appointment (odds ratio = 8.03; 95% CI: 7.64-8.43) compared to patients waiting for an emergency dental appointment.ConclusionsThere were important differences in patient satisfaction by military Service and clinic size, suggesting that improvement in satisfaction may need to be Service specific. These differences warrant further research that could inform policy changes directed at improving service members' dental care and readiness.Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2023. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

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