You’re not just a dentist, therapist, assistant, hygienist or administrative team member. You are in the business of creating longer, healthier and happier lives. And you get to do that every day! What a privilege. Sometimes it is easy to overlook the difference you are making while dealing with the challenges of practice ownership and management. I’m challenging you to get back to the basics beginning with the foundation of the dentition: the periodontium.
As total health advocates, the latest research on periodontal disease and its many detrimental implications should be a focus in your practice. According to cdc.gov, highly prevalent but preventable chronic periodontal disease affects 42% of U.S. adults. Furthermore, we now know how periodontal disease is linked to diabetes, pregnancy complications, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s.
Is your dental practice at the forefront of disease prevention and progression? Are you creating longer, healthier and happier lives by actively treating periodontal disease? 2019 data from Dental Intelligence of over 4,100 dental practices shows that the average dental practice has a perio patient % of 16% (patients over 30 years of age). The bottom 10% treated 4% and the top 10% treated 36%.
To close the gap between U.S. Adults with periodontal disease and those being treated, practices must have set protocols and procedures in place. We call this clinical
calibration. The overarching goal of clinical calibration is to provide the best patient care possible consistently. This is real life – Preventive Quality Control – we can show you how. Call me, Brooke (952-921-3360) if you want me to run the statistics on your practice.