Dental office design in this technologic era no longer looks to Roger Miller‘s King of the Road for blueprint layout
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Rooms to let…fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain’t got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin’ broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I’m a man of means by no means
King of the road.
Jeff Carter, DDS, and Pat Carter, IIDA
For more on this topic, go to www.dentaleconomics.com and search using the following key words: dental office design, dental office technology, Dr. Jeff Carter, Pat Carter.
The mercurial advancements in dental technology have impacted all spaces within the dental facility. Even so, we estimate changes dictated in design of the dental office due to technology advancements to be 15% over the last 20 years. You may be wondering, How can that be? considering the 1,000% change in product design over the same time period ? e.g., iPhone or EVO 4G vs. a 1991 rotary-dial, corded, landline phone.
The reason? Effective dental function is still driven by human ergonomics, anthropometrics, and sound practice principles. And those parameters have not changed significantly. A well-designed dental office prioritizes these criteria, and the insertion of technology (large or small) is about identifying size/utility requirements, appropriate application to dentistry, and integration within an ergonomically sound facility.
Significant changes in dental office design due, in part, to technology advancements would be:
