 | This article possibly contains original research .(July 2010) |
Computers and software have been used in dental medicine since the 1960s. [1] Since then, computers and information technology have spread progressively in dental practice. According to one study, in 2000, 85.1% of all dentists in the United States were using computers. [2]
Schleyer [3] and Kirshner [4] categorized dental software as administrative, clinical, and for the Internet. Zimmerman et al. [5] categorized dental software functions for administration and management of patients documentation, electronic archives of the documentation, telecommunication, computer - aided education, computerizing instruments and techniques in the dental office software assisting with clinical decision making.
Patient records management dental software is used by the dentist to organize the records of the patients in their practice. The computer patients management software is used for collecting, managing, saving, and retrieving medical information for the patients, and for creating reports for the patients. Computers in dentistry were first used to record dental archives [1] as an alternative of paper dental documentation. Later, the term "computer based dental documentation" was replaced with the term electronic patient record (EPR) since the latter better describes the method and the environment in which the patient record is being managed. [6] An official 1991 report of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in Washington, USA gave definitions about what functions must implement a computer based system for health documentation.
The American Dental Association (ADA) created specification number 1000 and number 1004 [7] concerning the structure and the content of the electronic health record. The medical data include identification and contact data, date of next visit, number of previous visits, anamnestic, clinical and paraclinical data, applied treatment, and treatment results data. Patient Records Management Dental Software is the most frequently used dental software.
Web-based dental patients records management software has been proposed. The web-based records save the information for the patients in a central web server instead in the computer in the dental office. [8]
After the introduction of the cloud system, patient records management is further simplified with the collection of patient data remotely prior to the patient visit to the dental practice and the integration of data using API's with the practice management system, this has eliminated the need of manual data entry and reduced billing errors. Commercially these type of systems are also known as paperless software systems.
The usage of computer technologies for taking clinical decisions for the treatment of dental patients started at the end of the 1970s. The expert systems designed to enhance the treatment process, by providing the dental practitioner with a treatment plan are known as dental expert systems software. Today for more appropriate definition is supposed to be decision support systems, or DSS, and knowledge based systems (KBS). Such software products are designed for therapeutic dentistry, [9] or prosthodontics. [10] [11]
Telecommunication technologies found application in the medicine in the 1950s, which led to the defining of a new term: telemedicine. In 1997, Cook first used the term "teledentistry" [12] and defines it as the practice to be used videoconference technologies for diagnosis placement or consultations for the treatment from destination. Different variations of medical and dental data interchange using internet are developed. [13] It is expected this type of software will revolutionize the way for interchanging information between medical and dental practitioners. Today teledentistry includes activities such as information interchange by phone lines, fax machines, and transfer of computer based documents via the internet. There are also special software products, designed for communication and information interchange between dentists, and software products designed to access dental information by the use of internet.
Computer-assisted education is an element from the remote education. [14] The term "electronic learning" or "e-learning" defines the usage of internet and multimedia in the educational course. Schleyer [15] describes the learning with the help of computer software as a means for overcoming the faults of the traditional forms of education. In 1997 Cook wrote about the usage of videoconference technologies by the means of their usage for dental education. [12] Today software for computer aided dental education are made for various dental specialities: orthodontics, dental imaging, endodontics, cariesology, oral pathology, pediatric dentistry, parodontology and prosthodontics. [14] [15]
Instruments, used in dentistry, and needing software to operate are a large number of models of digital roentgenography hardware, intraoral cameras, various diagnostic hardware products such as for early caries detection, periodontal probes, CAD/CAM systems. [16]
Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the mouth, most commonly focused on dentition as well as the oral mucosa. Dentistry may also encompass other aspects of the craniofacial complex including the temporomandibular joint. The practitioner is called a dentist.
A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in providing oral health services. The dental team includes dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and sometimes dental therapists.
Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance of teeth, gums and/or bite. It primarily focuses on improvement in dental aesthetics in color, position, shape, size, alignment and overall smile appearance. Many dentists refer to themselves as "cosmetic dentists" regardless of their specific education, specialty, training, and experience in this field. This has been considered unethical with a predominant objective of marketing to patients. The American Dental Association does not recognize cosmetic dentistry as a formal specialty area of dentistry. However, there are still dentists that promote themselves as cosmetic dentists.
Teledentistry is the use of information technology and telecommunications for dental care, consultation, education, and public awareness.
In dentistry, a veneer is a layer of material placed over a tooth. Veneers can improve the aesthetics and function of a smile and protect the tooth's surface from damage.
A denturist in the United States and Canada, clinical dental technologist in the United Kingdom and Ireland, dental prosthetist in Australia, or a clinical dental technician in New Zealand is a member of the oral health care team and role as primary oral health care provider who provides an oral health examination, planning treatment, takes impressions of the surrounding oral tissues, constructs and delivers removable oral prosthesis treatment directly to the patient.
A dental spa is a dental facility supervised by a licensed Oral Health Care Provider in which dental services are provided alongside spa treatments.
CAD/CAM dentistry is a field of dentistry and prosthodontics using CAD/CAM to improve the design and creation of dental restorations, especially dental prostheses, including crowns, crown lays, veneers, inlays and onlays, fixed dental prostheses (bridges), dental implant supported restorations, dentures, and orthodontic appliances. CAD/CAM technology allows the delivery of a well-fitting, aesthetic, and a durable prostheses for the patient. CAD/CAM complements earlier technologies used for these purposes by any combination of increasing the speed of design and creation; increasing the convenience or simplicity of the design, creation, and insertion processes; and making possible restorations and appliances that otherwise would have been infeasible. Other goals include reducing unit cost and making affordable restorations and appliances that otherwise would have been prohibitively expensive. However, to date, chairside CAD/CAM often involves extra time on the part of the dentist, and the fee is often at least two times higher than for conventional restorative treatments using lab services.
Purkinje Incorporated pioneered pen computing for comprehensive clinical management of patients by physicians in 1991 with the "PureMD" ontology-anchored medical record was later rename Dossier that allowed physician order entry, knowledge-based clinical decision support, and billing from clinical note-taking recorded on a tablet computer. In1994 and 2007, "Dossier" was respectively awarded the "OCTAS of excellence" and the "TEPR award for standalone eprescribing systems". Dossier's impact of on clinical redaction was evaluated in two peer-reviewed studies. "Purkinje software and services" currently serve over 13,000 physicians in clinics, community health centers, and hospitals throughout North America. The company provides health software and related services in the areas of practice management, electronic health records, personal health records, and electronic prescribing. In addition, Purkinje provides a series of professional services to physician practices including billing services, transcription, and medication dispensing.
Open Dental, previously known as Free Dental, is an open-source dental practice management software licensed under the GNU General Public License. It is written in the C# programming language compatible with Microsoft .NET Framework and was first released in 2003. Current versions of the software require Microsoft Windows, but earlier versions supported other operating systems, including Linux. The full function version is only available under the commercial license because it includes royalty-bearing, licensed materials from the Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature (CDT) of the American Dental Association (ADA).
Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) represents a surgical concept and set of methods, that use computer technology for surgical planning, and for guiding or performing surgical interventions. CAS is also known as computer-aided surgery, computer-assisted intervention, image-guided surgery, digital surgery and surgical navigation, but these are terms that are more or less synonymous with CAS. CAS has been a leading factor in the development of robotic surgery.
In periodontics, there are four reasons to seek medication. Those four reasons include infection, swelling, pain, and sedation. Although some patients may experience pain, swelling, and infection as a result of an acute periodontal problem such as advanced periodontal disease, periodontic patients usually do not need medication until they are faced with surgery. For successful surgery, medication is then introduced prior to the operation, usually the morning before the procedure and is continued for up to two weeks after.
In the United States and Canada, there are twelve recognized dental specialties in which some dentists choose to train and practice, in addition to or instead of general dentistry. In the United Kingdom and Australia, there are thirteen.
Evidence-based dentistry (EBD) is the dental part of the more general movement toward evidence-based medicine and other evidence-based practices. The pervasive access to information on the internet includes different aspects of dentistry for both the dentists and patients. This has created a need to ensure that evidence referenced to are valid, reliable and of good quality.
AHLTA is a global Electronic Health Record (EHR) system used by U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). It was implemented at Army, Navy and Air Force Military Treatment Facilities (MTF) around the world between January 2003 and January 2006. It is a services-wide medical and dental information management system. What made AHLTA unique was its implementation date, its Central Data Repository, its use in operational medicine and its global implementation. There is nothing like it in the private sector.
Clinical point of care (POC) is the point in time when clinicians deliver healthcare products and services to patients at the time of care.
The Hall Technique is a minimally-invasive treatment for decayed baby back (molar) teeth. Decay is sealed under preformed crowns, avoiding injections and drilling. It is one of a number of biologically oriented strategies for managing dental decay.
Digital dentistry refers to the use of dental technologies or devices that incorporates digital or computer-controlled components to carry out dental procedures rather than using mechanical or electrical tools. The use of digital dentistry can make carrying out dental procedures more efficient than using mechanical tools, both for restorative as diagnostic purposes. Used as a way to facilitate dental treatments and propose new ways to meet rising patient demands.
Align Technology, Inc. is an American manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign clear aligners used in orthodontics. It was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company manufactures the aligners in Juarez, Mexico, and its scanners in Israel and China. The company is best known for its Invisalign system, which is a clear aligner treatment used to straighten teeth.