Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the interdisciplinary relationship between the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthetic Dentistry by analyzing interdepartmental consultation request notes. A secondary objective was to compare referral patterns according to clinician training level (specialist vs. postgraduate student). A total of 1449 consultation request notes from patients treated at the faculty of dentistry were retrospectively examined and categorized. Among them, 515 requests originated from the Department of Restorative Dentistry to the Prosthetic Dentistry, while 934 requests were made from Department Prosthetic Dentistry to Restorative Dentistry. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 23. The most frequent consultation request from Department Restorative Dentistry to Prosthetic Dentistry was related to crown-bridge removal (n= 242; 47%), whereas the most common request from Prosthetic Dentistry to Restorative Dentistry was for restoration procedures (n = 513; 54.9%). The findings indicate that consultation requests most commonly occurred in situations where clinical procedures extended beyond the scope of a single department’s expertise. Moreover, the distribution of referrals revealed a consistent pattern associated with clinician training level, with postgraduate students accounting for the majority of interdepartmental requests. Together, these results suggest that referrals between departments are shaped by both procedural complexity and the hierarchical structure of clinical training, rather than occurring on an arbitrary basis
Source: Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi
Institutions: Erciyes University, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University
Language: Turkish
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204198770