Dentistry is fast heading toward a paperless office where every conceivable record can and will be computerized. The patient’s file, including all diagnostic and treatment records can already be stored, displayed, printed, and transported electronically. One of the major advantages of this trend is that it enables you to accumulate vast amounts of knowledge about your patients and retrieve the information faster than by looking through pages of records to find, for instance, what cement you used many years ago to seat a particular crown.
The Integrated System
Currently, most high-tech diagnostic systems consist of independent units, one to do each job, resulting in higher purchase costs and the need for more storage and usage space. State-of-the-art diagnostic procedures in the future will be controlled by an integrated workstation. The advantage of this clinical and management-oriented system is the ability to add and retrieve information quickly and easily from multiple, flexible locations within the office. Records, x-rays, and reports will not be misplaced. A patient’s last x-ray and the next day’s schedule will be at your fingertips while you are on the phone determining how and when to treat him or her. You may even have workstations at home for on-call situations involving any patient in your practice. This will be especially valuable for multidoctor and multilocation practices. Fast and comprehensive specialty and referral consultations are easily made using modems. Third-party reimbursement is certainly faster if claims are submitted electronically, and procedure approvals can be higher with the ability to submit more in-depth documentation.
The various components of such a typical integrated system are:
1. Practice/business management system
2. Extraoral camera and video, with memory and printer
3. Intraoral camera
4. Computerized radiography
5. Occlusal analysis
6. Voice-activated periodontal and general oral diagnostics
7. Patient education and interactive video system
8. Computerized imaging system
The voice-activated charting component is actually the core of the system from a clinical perspective because it generates the basic information of the electronic chart. In addition, temporomandibular joint analysis and esthetic evaluation can be incorporated into this integrated system. The video recordings become a form of informed consent. While recording face and smile, you also capture the patient’s voice stating that he/she understands what a particular procedure is and why it is being done. For the esthetic practice, this can prove to be a definite advantage, especially if a patient presents a problem after treatment. Photographic records will be the rule rather than the exception. Recreating the circumstances of a restorative procedure will take only seconds if they are stored in the system. Eventually, three-dimensional diagnostic models and even their occlusion will be possible when the principles of CAD/CAM are integrated into the system.
The first visit frequently ends with the recording of the patient’s images. The actual computer imaging correction often occurs after the patient leaves, either by or in consultation with the dentist.
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