[Software support for automatic (computerized) work stations for dentists]

The authors describe the software for a basic computer unified system of working places for dentists specializing in oral, dental surgery and orthodontics with diaries and special entries for each section. The computer system head physician--registration office--primary examination room--rooms of dental treatment, physiotherapy, and x-ray examination--is intended for use as part of local computer network of dental clinics in the MS DOS and Windows systems. Application of the system improves the labor efficiency by up to 35% and the financial efficacy by almost 30%. It also warrants legal protection of both physicians and patients.

Is your OSHA compliance program up to date?

OSHA safety inspections in dental offices have decreased dramatically over the past several years. But this development does not mean that compliance with safety regulations is no longer mandatory. Recent changes and some additions to the OSHA regulations should serve as a catalyst to review and update your office safety program. This article highlights the new standards and proposes a plan for such a review.

Managed care: a call for strategic management in the dental office

Strategic management of any business will enable it to prosper in challenging times of change. Strategic planning is not characteristically found only in large corporations. Indeed, small business, such as solo private practices, can gain much from the process. The successful practice is one that is proactive rather than reactive; it has learned to become the beneficiary of change, rather than its victim.

Dental office structure and treatment outcome--related or independent?

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the physical and organizational structure of a dental office is a reliable predictor of dental treatment outcome. A supervised self-evaluation instrument was developed to evaluate the physical and organizational structure of a dental office. Seventy dental offices-50 offices previously identified as delivering acceptable care and 20 offices previously identified as delivering less than acceptable care-were tested with this instrument. The authors concluded that there were no significant structural differences between dental offices giving "acceptable care" and "less than acceptable care."

The key to scheduling profitably

Smart scheduling in the dental office can help staff use their time and resources more efficiently and increase the practice's profitability. Communication among staff members is key to achieving this goal.

Preparing for the "silver age of dentistry"

Providing oral health care to older adults will be a challenging and rewarding part of dental practice in the years ahead. It will include understanding normal aging, appreciation of the pathophysiology of chronic diseases experienced by many elderly, and application of key principles of pharmacology in care of patients receiving medications for treatment of these diseases. It will involve an understanding of the interaction of systemic conditions with oral health status, adequate diagnosis of oral disease, and appropriate rational treatment planning with a strong emphasis on preventive dentistry. It will include care provided in nursing homes or during housecalls for the homebound. Dentist-geriatricians will be working with teams of healthcare professionals that include physicians, dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, pharmacists, and occupational and physical therapists. Above all, the team will provide skilled compassionate care, which is always good business!

Economic study of a two chair hygiene system

Dental hygiene services play a major role in the economics of a dental practice. To survive the financial challenges of the '90s, an office goal should be to improve and increase hygiene productivity. The purpose of this study is to determine the economic value of a "Two Chair Hygiene System" in a dental office. The study was conducted in two separate, three month periods. In one three month period, data was collected for one hygienist working one chair. This was called the "One Chair Hygiene System". During the second three month period, data was collected for one hygienist working two chairs with an assistant; called the "Two Chair Hygiene System". The results demonstrate that a "Two Chair Hygiene System" is of economic benefit to a dental practice. The findings show an increase in the hourly hygiene production, the hourly hygiene salary and in the number of patients treated per hour. There was a decrease in the amount of hygienist time required per appointment due to efficient delegation to the assistant. The total office salary cost remained constant. The results of the study suggest a "Two Chair Hygiene System" is an efficient method of delivering hygiene services.

Computer use in private dental practice in Australia, 1991

There was a 70 per cent response to a mail questionnaire to a 1:3 sample of Australian Dental Association members in private practices (n = 1931). Computers were used by 37 per cent of practices. Main computer applications used were for: accounting (84%); patient billing (80%); word processing (79%); and patient recall (61%). External bureau services were used by 4 per cent of practices with most computers being in-house (single terminal 66%; multiple terminal 33%). The more dentists in a practice, the more likely was a computer to be used. Principal users were secretary/receptionists. Service and software were the most important factors in choice of computer system. Many practice computer users (67%) also had a Personal Computer at home compared with only 36 per cent of the non-users. Many respondents indicated the need for continuing education in computers (67% users; 61% non-users). More than half of the non-users indicated future use of computers for accounting, billing and recall. There has been a considerable increase in the use of computers in private practice (37%) since the Australian Dental Association Dental Practice Survey in 1983/84 (9%).

Validation of a survey instrument to measure the extent to which physician and dentist office environments discourage smoking

The health professional's office environment has been identified as one of the potential influences on smoking behaviour of patients. This study compared characteristics of office smoking policies and environments of 30 physicians and 30 dentists using both telephone survey and site visit. The site visit was considered the 'gold standard'. The sequence of interview presentation was randomly reversed for half the physicians and half the dentists to control for order effects. Kappa estimates and two-way Analysis of Variance were used on categorical and continuous variables, respectively. The results show there was a high agreement between the two modes of surveying. Physicians and dentists do not differ in level of agreement and in the consistency of responses obtained by telephone and site visit. We conclude that a telephone survey is a valid method to obtain smoking-related information from health professional offices.