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Dashboards for Dentists

May 1, 2008

This week I had my bi-yearly checkup with my dentist. I have never really minded going to these appointments. For the most part, other than always being gently scolded for not flossing regularly (come on, it’s a pain to do!), my visits are routine and without surprises. Over the last 10 years or so, one item I have always puzzled about is the WALL of patient files that exist behind the receptionist’s desk. How many patients’ records exist in that wall? How many are active patients? How many versions of x-rays exist per folder? What happens if the office goes up in smoke or is the victim of water damage? Does the history of the patient disappear?

Well this visit was a bit different, let me explain. I sat down in the chair and my hygienist explained it was time for x-rays. Ok no problem…put on lead vest…open wide and bite down on film…absorb some radiation…print out x-ray…review x-ray on white screen. To my surprise, my assumed process stopped at “absorb some radiation”. Instead of printing out the x-ray to film, the results of my x-ray immediately displayed on a LCD monitor next to my chair within “Dave’s dashboard”! My dentist had recently installed a new system and was in the process of converting the WALL into the digital age.

So what did “Dave’s dashboard” include?

  • A repository of x-ray films. This allows the dentist to quickly move between versions of films and allows him to monitor changing patterns in the mouth (tooth gaps widening/shrinking, jaw alignment, etc.)
  • Historical view of past visits. Included were procedures performed, costs associated, insurance company billed, future scheduled visits, etc.
  • A graphical representation of all the teeth in MY mouth. It showed my incisors, my molars, etc. But the neat part was that if something was “special” about a tooth, that “special” was represented in the graphic. Fillings were shaded grey. Cosmetic work was green. Areas “being watched” were blue. I was told areas with potential enamel problems would be another color.
  • A bunch of other “tabs” of information that I wasn’t able to view (couldn’t ask, mouth was full)

How cool is that? All information about a patient was online and accessible in a concise easy to read format. A format that can be shared directly with the patient to help them understand why their tooth is hurting or what their teeth may look like “after” a cosmetic change.

I attempted to ask my dentist about the software to get a feel for what technologies were used to create this. Obviously he didn’t have a clue, but it was running in Windows Vista and appeared to be client/server in nature. Not only did this appear to make the dentist and hygienist’s job easier from a paperwork perspective, but now this vital information was easily maintained, backed up and tucked away in the event of an office disaster. The reliance on the WALL was subsiding. So in a world where businesses are consistently trying to improve themselves, exposing the same old information in new exciting ways may just help turn on a light bulb to a new way of thinking or acting/reacting…even a dentist.

If I ever need to change dentists, I now only have to request my records be forwarded electronically to my next dentist. I don’t plan on doing so anytime soon though. I very pleased with my current one and he’s getting hip with the times and using software/technologies that I have expressed interests in.

Now where is that floss…

Dave

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Written by Dave Cordas · Filed Under Featured, Information Technology 

Comments

One Response to “Dashboards for Dentists”

  1. DAVIDeBOWMAN on May 5th, 2008 9:27 am

    Dave,

    You know what would be great? They should provide you with a keyboard at the dentist. That way when they try to make conversation, you could actually reply. I had a similar experience at my dentist earlier this year. It is really compelling to see the information about your teeth displayed in an easy to understand format. They also track what I like to watch on tv, as they have plasma televisions overhead. A long way from the dentist office experience I grew up with. My kids actually like the dentists. Will miracles never cease.

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