Investigation of public dental medical institutions and manpower in Liaoning Province

Objective To investigate the public oral medical institutions in Liaoning Province in 2011,and to analyze the status of the dental manpower in public medical institutions in Liaoning Province. Methods A mass survey on dental manpower was made in registered public oral medical institutions in Liaoning Province in 2011 by means of questionnaire given out by administrative departments,which included the number,structure,composition,distribution,equipment of dental manpower in public medical institutions in Liaoning Province. Results There were 506 public dental medical institutions including 16 tertiary hospitals,96 secondary hospitals, 394 primary hospitals with 2 485 dentists,773 nurses,416 technicians and 2 242 dental chairs in Liaoning. 76. 58% of the dental manpower were young and middle-aged staffs. 35. 57% of the dentists were attending doctors,43. 50% of them had bachelor degree and 59. 76% of the dentists majored in general dentistry. The majority of the dental auxiliaries had primary title. 58. 60% of the nurses majored in general dentistry and 49. 94% of the nurses had college degree. 40. 63% of the technicians majored in prosthetic dentistry and 65. 14% of them had secondary school education or below. The ratio of the dentists to nurses to technicians was 6∶ 2∶ 1. The ratio of the nurses to dental chairs was 1∶ 2. 9. The ratio of the prosthetic dentists to technicians was 1. 67∶ 1. Conclusions The composition and distribution of dental manpower are not reasonable in public medical institutions in Liaoning Province,and dental auxiliaries are relatively in shortage. We should rationally readjust the distribution and strengthen effective utilization of oral health resources in public oral medical institutions in Liaoning Province.