Leadership in dentistry: an exploratory study of general dental professionals' perceptions of leadership

Objectives: This study aims to explore the following questions:
What does leadership mean in the context of the dental profession and how does it manifest?
What are the leadership and management skills and personal attribute requirements of individuals working in the dental profession?
Do members of the profession feel adequately prepared, through their own educational experience, for these requirements?
What is their experience of leadership and management in practice?
Methods: A qualitative methodology was applied, using an interpretive, constructionist approach. One-to-one exploratory semi-structured interviews with ten dental professionals (dentists, dental hygiene-therapists, dental nurses and practice managers/ receptionists) working in general dental practice were held. Participants were asked a series of pre-prepared questions but the conversations were open in structure to allow elaboration and accommodation of topics not previously identified. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Analysis was initially thematic in approach but a reflexive reaction to the findings was to examine narratives that emerged from the data.
Results: Participants and the practices in which they worked were representative of general dentistry in the UK. Identified themes were: 'multiple meanings of leadership' , 'personal experience' 'embodiment', 'challenges' and 'leadership learning'. Deeper and emerging findings were 'narratives of practice' which illustrate common leadership issues/ stories happening in many general dental practices: a recent corporate buy-out with a change in leadership culture; the responsibility and pressure of a single owner practice.
Conclusions: This study explored the concept of leadership in general dental practice by identifying themes and narratives. This work has resonance for practitioners throughout the dental team and tells the 'real-life' experience of leadership in practice. The outcome of this work has informed a planned further in-depth ethnographic study of leadership in general dental practice.