Impact of Infrastructure on Graduate Dental Education and Dental Clinic Productivity

• Published in: Journal of dental education Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 184 - 191
• Main Authors: Lam, Hwai‐Tai C., Ward, Timothy, O'Toole, Terry G., Arola, Patricia E., Chang, Barbara K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Dental Education Association 01.02.2009
• Subjects: Cross-Sectional Studies; dental assistant; Dental Assistants - statistics & numerical data; Dental Care - organization & administration; Dental Care - statistics & numerical data; Dental Clinics - organization & administration; dental resident; Dental Service, Hospital; Dental Staff - statistics & numerical data; dental treatment room; Dentistry; Dentists - statistics & numerical data; Education, Dental, Graduate - organization & administration; Efficiency, Organizational; front‐desk personnel; graduate dental education; Hospitals, Teaching; Hospitals, Veterans; Humans; Internship and Residency - organization & administration; Internship and Residency - statistics & numerical data; operatory workload; productivity; Teaching - organization & administration; Teaching - statistics & numerical data; United States; Workload; United States
• ISSN: 0022-0337; 1930-7837
• DOI: 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2009.73.2.tb04653.x

Using all‐inclusive data from 126 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities that provide dental services, this study identified the staffing infrastructure under which the Veterans Health Administration can provide graduate dental education without compromising dental clinic productivity. From regression analyses, we found that teaching residents has a negative impact on staff dentists’ productivity; however, when the dental assistant to provider ratio is greater than or equal to 1.0, dental residents’ workload contribution can offset the negative impact on overall clinic productivity. In the presence of dental residents, the dental assistant, front‐desk personnel, and dental treatment room to provider ratios have a positive impact on productivity. The optimal ratios were calculated as 1.5 for dental assistants, 2.1 for dental treatment rooms, and 0.57 for front‐desk personnel.