Translating Evidence Into Practice: A Patient Perspective on Third Molar Extraction

Translating Evidence Into Practice: A Patient Perspective on Third Molar Extraction

In this presentation I reflect on my personal life course experiences with third molar retention. Here, I discuss how I came to still have all of my third molars into middle-age, and I focus on my interactions with dental service providers over the years. In particular, I reflect on discussions with multiple dentists about third molar extraction decision making. These discussions with dental service providers have multiple aspects of interest to APHA attendees: (a) patient and service provider levels of knowledge about current literature on third molar extraction; (b) patient and service provider levels of familiarity with probabilistic concepts and stochastic aspects of clinical decision making; and (c) patient and service providers views on shared decision making in a clinical setting. The later issue focuses on patient empowerment constructs in health literacy. This presentation represents the views and first-person experiences of only one patient; still, these issues are meant to stimulate broader discussions about key aspect of shared decision making regarding third molar extraction or retention.