Regulatory Compliance in the Dental Office
Dentists in the private sector, as well as their academic counterparts, must comply with a variety of federal, state, and local regulations. The scope of this regulation ranges from specifying…
Complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Guidelines for the Dental Office
This article outlines Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines for maintaining a safe dental practice workplace and covers requirements, such as education and protection for dental health care personnel….
How to Implement a HIPAA Compliance Plan into a Practice
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, all dental offices are required to formulate policies and procedures to ensure and secure patient privacy of health information….
Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organization Accreditation for the Office-Based Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Office-based surgery has become a vital component of the practice of oral and maxillofacial surgeons and periodontists. It has enabled these specialties to provide needed service to patients in an…
Infection Control in the Dental Office
The risk of infectious disease transmission is an inherent part of dental practice. Fortunately, such risks can be greatly reduced through modern infection control practices. Such practices include the use…
Stress Management in the Difficult Patient Encounter
Patient care and management can present a significant source of stress for the practicing dentist. This article presents the various facets and underpinnings of stress, followed by an overview of…
Preparing the Dental Office for Medical Emergencies
Modern dental offices must be equipped to initiate prompt emergency care should the sudden need arise. With the elderly population in dental practices increasing, these emergencies will undoubtedly occur. This…
Risk Management Techniques for the General Dentist and Specialist
Malpractice litigation is part of everyday clinical practice and is an area of which all dentists need to be aware. With proper forethought and planning, this vexing issue can be…
Insurance Planning for Dentists and Dental Practices
There are a myriad of insurance products available for the dentist and his dental practice. Care must be taken to ensure that all risks have been reviewed and the appropriate…
Employee Relations
This review highlights some of the more important employee relation aspects involved in starting, establishing, or expanding an existing dental practice. Despite a competitive compensation package, staff-related conflicts can sometimes…
Insurance Billing and Coding
The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of understanding various numeric and alpha-numeric codes for accurately billing dental and medically related services to private pay or third-party…
Basic Bookkeeping and Avoiding Theft
Bookkeeping practices in dental offices may be relatively simple, but care must be taken to prevent employee theft. Well-chosen accounting software and routine office practices may facilitate smooth operations. Systems…
Evaluating a Dental Practice for Purchase or Associateship
Private dental practice can be achieved through either outright ownership or an associateship in conjunction with senior dentists; the decision depends on personal and professional objectives and goals. Once a…
Management and Marketing for the General Practice Dental Office
This article reviews trends in the dental marketplace. Marketing is an essential element of dentistry. Communicating treatment options with patients is one aspect of marketing. Treatment planning helps patients understand…
Credentialing
Credentialing is the administrative process for validating the qualifications of licensed professionals and appraising their background. It is used by hospitals and other health care facilities, educational institutions, and insurance…
Computer-aided Design/Computer-aided Manufacturing Applications Using CT and Cone Beam CT Scanning Technology
CT and cone-beam CT technology provides clinicians with new methods to view patient anatomy exceeding conventional two-dimensional radiology. Interactive software applications allow for improved interpretation of the CT scan data….
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology in Three Dimensions
It is clear that the dental profession has entered a new age of radiographic diagnostic imaging. A number of examples have shown that being able to visualize oral and maxillofacial…
Cone-Beam CT Diagnostic Applications: Caries, Periodontal Bone Assessment, and Endodontic Applications
Cone-beam CT (CBCT) is useful for many maxillofacial applications, such as implant site imaging and diagnosis and treatment planning for orthodontics and craniofacial surgery. Dentoalveolar applications, such as carious lesion…
Cone-Beam CT: Applications in Orthodontics
Radiographic images have always been an important part of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. We have been limited by the two-dimensional nature of these radiographs as we pursue tooth movement…
Computer-Aided Dental Implant Planning
Computer-aided dental implant planning increases the predictability of replacing missing teeth in partially and fully edentulous cases. This article describes how Nobel Biocare’s Procera surgical planning software converts a patient’s…