Overtreatment in Dentistry in Iran; A Qualitative Study for Concept Mapping and Determination of its Main Manifestations

Overtreatment or unnecessary treatment is one of the major reasons for inefficiency in health systems. It imposes unnecessary costs on the patients or the health systems and could result in physical and psychological harm. The present study aims at achieving a concept map of overtreatment and prioritizing its most important manifestations.Materials &

This qualitative study was conducted by interviewing 17 professors at Mashhad Dental School and running a nominal group session.

The study resulted in a list of 14 fields in which overtreatment occurs in dental practice in Iran. According to the results of the nominal group, the most important cases on the list were treatments following overdiagnosis, unnecessary restorations or crowns, and saving hopeless teeth.

Approximation to a common understanding of the overtreatment concept is needed for effective educational and policy interventions. It is suggested to distinguish between the least necessary treatments and optimum and ideal levels of treatment. Overtreatment in dentistry could be discussed in areas higher than the optimum or ideal level of treatment.