Factors Influencing Dental Patient Participation in Biobanking and Biomedical Research

OBJECTIVES: To study the willingness of dental patients to donate biospecimens for research purpose and to examine factors that may influence such a decision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A face-to-face interview was conducted using a pretested structured survey instrument on 408 adult dental patients attending a university hospital for dental care. Descriptive statistics were generated, and the χ(2) test was used to examine differences between groups. p values ≤0.5 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 408 participants, only 71 (17.4%) had heard of the terms biobanking/biospecimens, but 293 (71.9%) approved of the idea of using biospecimens for biomedical research, and 228 (55.9%) were willing to donate biospecimens and give personal information for research purposes. In participants who were unwilling to participate in biobanking, fear of information leakage was the most frequently reported reason, while in participants who were willing to donate biospecimens, the potential to provide more effective and less costly treatments was the most frequently reported reason. The preferences of the 228 participants who were willing to donate biospecimens were as follows: give a sample of removed oral tissues including extracted teeth (n = 105, 46.1%), donate a blood sample (n = 52, 23%), donate a sample of saliva (n = 43, 18.6%), and give a urine sample (n = 28, 12.3%). CONCLUSION: Dental patients had a generally positive attitude towards biomedical research and biobanking. The most preferred types of biospecimens to donate in a dental setting were removed tissues, including extracted teeth and blood samples.