Exploring Corporate Dentistry: A Scoping Review
Muhammad Talal Khan1 , Firoozeh Samim1 , Elham Emami1
Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Abstract Background: Corporate Dentistry (CD) has emerged as a type of dental practice, that may influence the dental workforce and patient care. However, there is limited scientific evidence regarding its impact.
Aim: This scoping review maps existing literature on corporate dentistry to provide a comprehensive overview of its landscape, challenges, and opportunities.
Methods: Following the six-stage methodological framework developed by Levac et al. and the Joanna Briggs Institute Collaboration for scoping reviews, specific keywords and MeSH terms were developed with the help of an expert librarian. A literature search was performed using MEDLINE Ovid, Ovid HealthStar, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC), and grey literature. All publications including both observational and experimental studies from the past 10 years were included, except for commentaries, and editorial pieces. The search was not limited to language and was piloted for its appropriateness. All publications were imported into Rayyan for screening and duplicates were removed. The study selection included title and abstract screening, followed by a full-text review. Two independent reviewers (MK and FS) screened the articles according to the eligibility criteria; disagreements were discussed and resolved by a third reviewer (EE). Data extraction, collating, summarising, and result reporting were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis: extension for Scoping Reviews. A consultation on findings was conducted with experts in the dental profession.
Results: Of the 43 identified studies, 10 met the inclusion criteria. The preliminary findings of the included studies were categorized into 4 themes: corporate dentistry landscape, career choices, financial implications, and practice dynamics.
Discussion and Conclusion: The preliminary results suggest that CD could be a practice option for some dentists depending on their socio-economic status, stage of career, and it depicts the perceived benefits and challenges related to this model of practice. Further research on this topic is recommended.
Significance and Knowledge Transfer Activities: This review will provide new evidence that may be helpful to the dental community including academics, clinicians, and dental students. Future knowledge dissemination activities will include a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations.