Patient-Centred Preferences for Autonomy and Information-Seeking Among Periodontal Patients in Dental Decision Making

Abstract

Background and aim: Managing periodontal disease often involves complex decisions involving multiple treatment options, and patient autonomy significantly influences this decision-making process. This study aimed to characterise the autonomy and information-seeking preferences among patients diagnosed with stage III/IV periodontitis, and to identify the factors influencing these preferences.

Materials and methods: The survey included 96 patients diagnosed with periodontal disease, all of whom underwent periodontal treatment or tooth extraction between May 2021 and February 2022. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire incorporating the Autonomy Preference Index (API) to assess their decision-making and information-seeking preferences, along with demographic information, using a 5-point Likert scale.

Results: Decision-making preferences were centrally distributed, with a score of 2.87 ± 0.47 (mean ± SD), indicating that most periodontal patients favoured a collaborative decision-making model. In contrast, information-seeking preferences were skewed, with a strong concentration towards the higher end of information preferences; the score was 4.55 ± 0.08. Lower age (p = 0.008) was associated with a preference for greater autonomy, while the financial burden (p = 0.034) was linked to reduced information-seeking preferences. Patients' autonomy remained relatively consistent across different periodontal clinical scenarios.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that periodontitis patients prefer to be well informed and share decision-making responsibilities with healthcare professionals after their diagnosis. Factors such as age and financial burden affect their autonomy, involvement and desire for information.