Sustaining the unsustainable? The future of dental technicians

• Main Author: Þórða Berg Óskarsdóttir 1982-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Verkefnastjórnun; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/43212

In the last decade, there have been significant technological advancements in the work of dental technicians. However, no research has been conducted regarding how these changes might impact the dental technicians‘ profession. Therefore, the aim of the research is to map out the current situation and future prospects of the dental technicians’ profession. A qualitative content analysis approach was adopted in this research to acquire deep knowledge about the subject matter. The data was collected through eight semi-structured interviews with dental technicians, dentists, and other dental health professionals working in Iceland. The following two themes emerged from the data: The current situation and future prospects. The main findings of this study indicate that significant changes must be made in dental technicians’ education with considerably more emphasis placed on training computer skills. Secondly, the findings indicate that several dentists do not use digital technology because they do not have the time to develop the skills needed. Thirdly, there are opportunities to expand the scope of work. Finally, the findings showed concerns regarding dental tourism, where there is a lot of overtreatment and poorly done work. Viðskiptafræðideild hefur samþykkt lokaðan aðgang að þessari ritgerð í 5 ár.