The provision of dental care services, related to the quality requirements of health policies and patient satisfaction rates, increasingly requires the creation of qualitative indicators, instruments and criteria based on specific objectives, to validate the quality of the services provided.

objective:

the aim of this study is to determine the main dimensions of the dentist-patient relationship associated with patient satisfaction in a clinical context, with emphasis on the needs and expectations of patients themselves.

method:

a sample of 88 adults who attend primary care units at public emergency services in the central area of Chile were studied using a qualitative approach based on the social psychology of health and on grounded theory. from these, categories emerged that identify processes, attitudes and behaviors that define the assessment of care providers based on their practices.

results:

in an interactional context characterized by the patient’s expectation regarding the provision of care and anxiety due to potential pain, two already recognized main axes emerged, namely: the capacity to generate trust through interpersonal and communicative good treatment strategies, and the capacity or technical skills of the professional care provider.

conclusion:

this study proposes a protocol of good care practices, which takes into account the needs and expectations of patients regarding the role of the dentist.