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278 - Filing a Complaint with the State Board of Dental Examiners

Saturday, May 24, 2025
11:30 AM - 11:45 AM MDT
Has Audio

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Bethany Flanders, DDS

    Pediatric Dental Resident
    Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX (formerly Baylor College of Dentistry)
    Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX (formerly Baylor College of Dentistry)
    Dallas, Texas, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • CK

    Carolyn Kerins, DDS, PhD

    Graduate Program Director
    Texas A&M College of Dentistry - Department of Pediatric Dentistry
    Dallas, Texas, United States

    • Research Mentor(s)

  • DB

    Dan Burch, III, DDS, MA

    Clinical Associate Professor
    Texas A&M College of Dentistry - Department of Pediatric Dentistry
    Dallas, Texas, United States

    • Program Director(s)

  • CK

    Carolyn Kerins, DDS, PhD

    Graduate Program Director
    Texas A&M College of Dentistry - Department of Pediatric Dentistry
    Dallas, Texas, United States

Abstract:

Filing a Complaint with the State Board of Dental Examiners

Flanders B, Ritter MH, Deister N, Burch D (Texas A&M College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX)

Purpose: The aim was to provide a state-by-state examination and comparison of the State Dental Board websites for each of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, in order to identify potential barriers to individual reporting through these systems.

Methods: This study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study, in which each of the 51 State Dental Board websites were individually accessed and navigated. Data was collected from each website regarding the availability and accessibility of an online complaint-filing system for each state.

Results: Potential barriers to incident reporting were identified in all 51 of the websites we assessed. These barriers included issues with website navigability (78.4%), lack of clear instructions for complaint filing (31.4%), absent or inadequate accommodations such as translation services for non-English-speakers (70.6%) or accessibility features for individuals with disabilities (47.1%), and cumbersome requirements for complaint submission (43.1%).

Conclusions: (1) Each state has an opportunity to improve its complaint filing system, and should strive to identify and reduce obstacles where possible. (2) Additional research is needed to determine if the accessibility of complaint filing systems has a statistically significant impact on the nature, frequency, or distribution of complaints received across the U.S.