The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Dental Prophylaxis

Abstract

This report deals with the influence of the self-fulfilling prophecy on dental prophylaxis. The aim was to test if this phenomenon had any influence on the treatment of patients, they and their therapeutist's perception of each other and the result of the prophylactic work. Sixty patients and 34 students were involved. The patients were randomly classified as “good” or “bad”. Twenty-seven students had a patient from each group. Dental plaque and gingival inflammation were recorded before and after the treatment. No difference in improvement between the two groups could be shown. Both patients and students were interviewed about their experiences and feelings during the treatment. All patients were satisfied with their therapeutist. The students generally accepted the classification although they were made aware of the self-fulfilling prophecy. This was confirmed by a significantly higher frequency of patient drop-outs, broken appointments and critical notes about the patients in the “bad” group compared to the “good”. The conclusions are that the self-fulfilling prophecy can be initiated by even minor notes in patient files, and that this affects the treatment of patients.