Method: This current study adopted CA as the analytic frame to examine patterns of interpreter mediated talk in general dentistry in Hong Kong where the assisting para-professional, a Dental Surgery Assistant (DSA), performs the dual capabilities of clinical assistant and interpreter (Bridges et al 2011). Conversation analysis (CA) of recipient design across a corpus of n=21 video-recorded review consultations between expatriate dentists (non-Chinese and non-Cantonese speakers) and their Chinese and Cantonese L1 patients, examined not what is said but rather how interpreted talk comes into being. Result: Three patterns of recipient design indicated the communicative significance of mediator-interpreted talk in general dentistry: dentist designated expansions; dentist directed interpretations; and assistant initiated interpretations to both the dentist and patient. The latter, rather than being perceived as negative (on the grounds, for instance, that they are not faithful translations of what the dentist or patient actually said), were found to be framed either in response to patient difficulties or within the specific task routines of general dentistry.
Conclusion: The findings illustrate trends in dentistry towards personalized care and patient empowerment as a reaction to the predominant product delivery approach to patient management. Implications are indicated for both treatment adherence and the education of dental professionals.