Determinants affecting the decision of German dentists to set-up an office A multi-criteria evaluation

Abstract

Regarding a peril to full-coverage dental care, it is reasonable to find a method to identify the crucial determinants affecting dentists’ decision to set-up a practice (office).

METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted for the years 2010-2020 using the databases Elsevier-Scopus, Springer-SpringerLink and MedLine-PubMed. The factors found in the literature were compared in a pairwise comparison within the framework of a pilot study and could be weighted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and verified for their consistency.

RESULTS: Nine factors could be identified. They got weighted: quality of life in private environment (24.12%), environment for the family (20.26%), infrastructure (14.80%), location of the practice (9.72%), real income (7.51%), support programs (6.86%), professional cooperation’s (6.39%), dentist density (5.51%), funding conditions (4.82%). The consistency check resulted in CR=0.06 and is considered consistent.

CONCLUSION: The AHP method is a way to analyse relevant factors for the setting-up of dental practices. The AHP can be used as an approximation method for further analysis of business types and socio-demographic differences within the dental profession.