FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 19, 1997
CONTACT:
Chris Martin
Jann Ingmire
DC Convention Center
202/371-4509
Chicago Office
312/440-2806
Dental Office of the Future To Feature Patient-Friendly Technology
WASHINGTON -- Imagine having a computer disk with your entire dental health history, including pictures of your teeth during various stages of your life and voice recordings of your dentist's treatment recommendations. Well, if Arun Nayyar, D.M.D., M.S., of Augusta, Georgia, has his way, that day will come sooner rather than later for most people. Dr. Nayyar is giving four presentations on "Dental Technology and the Dental Office of the Future" at the American Dental Association's (ADA) 138th Annual Session in Washington, D.C., on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19. "Communication is one of the most important things for a dentist to be skilled at, and many recent and future technological innovations seek to help dentists communicate better with their patients," he said. Dr. Nayyar envisions a dental world in which dentists transcribe treatment plans into a voice-activated computer program that translates the information onto a computer disk.
This can also be combined with an intraoral camera to add pictures of the patient's condition. An intraoral camera is essentially a small television camera that is fitted onto a pen-sized device that can display an image up to 40 times larger than actual size. The camera is hooked up to a monitor that allows the patient and the dentist to view the image. "The intraoral camera helps patients better understand what the dentist is diagnosing and recommending," he said. While there haven't been any studies on patients who are treated by dentists who have an intraoral camera, Dr. Nayyar reports that sales of these devices are brisk and that many dentists have told him their patients tend to adhere more readily to treatment recommendations. "With an intraoral camera, a dentist can actually show a patient the diseased or problem area in their mouth," he said, adding that the more information the dentist provides, the more likely patients are to follow the dentist's recommendations. The computer disk allows patients to store this information and display it on their computer so that they can be more conversant with the dentist, who has always had this information close at hand. Again, the theory is that an informed, educated dental patient is more likely to understand and follow the treatment recommendations, he stressed. Dr. Nayyar is also optimistic that CD-ROMs will eventually fill a big patient education need too.
"CD-ROMs can take a patient through a question-and-answer session and address issues they may have before a procedure begins," he said. For instance, a CD-ROM program might tell a consumer what a crown is and what goes into placing one. It may also address treatment alternatives.
"Some programs will have post-operative instructions that patients can take home with them after the treatment," he said. Many programs are set up to answer common patient questions. A committee is currently working on setting up a "dental office of the future" at the School of Dentistry, Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, and some of the technology they hope to put in the office includes a wireless intraoral camera that weighs only four ounces and sophisticated computer fabricating devices that will make restorations such as crowns and fillings in the office, instead of sending an impression out to the dental lab. Dr. Nayyar said these developments have significant implications for dentistry. "As dentists incorporate computer technology into their dental practice, dental researchers will be able to gather a lot more data on treatment outcomes and better determine which procedures are successful and which are not; which materials are durable and which ones will fail," he said.
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