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Economic Implications of Adding Two Expanded-Duty Dental Assistants to a Practice

1973; Elsevier BV; Volume: 87; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.14219/jada.archive.1973.0432

1943-4723

Walter J. Pelton, Olice H. Embry, George A. Overstreet, James B. Dilworth,

Healthcare Policy and Management

The addition of a second expanded-duty dental assistant to a practice can substantially increase a dentist’s productivity. However, the greatest incremental increase in revenue was found in the addition of one expanded-duty assistant and one chairside assistant to the practice of a dentist employing two traditional assistants. The average theoretical revenue per day in the surrogate practice involving one dentist, two expanded-duty assistants, and four chairside assistants was almost 64% greater than that produced by the dentist with two chairside assistants, and 19% greater than that produced by one dentist, one expanded-duty assistant, and three chairside assistants. The addition of one expanded-duty assistant enabled the dentist to treat 4.58 more patients a day, whereas the addition of two assistants enabled him to treat 10.0 more patients a day. The addition of a second expanded-duty dental assistant to a practice can substantially increase a dentist’s productivity. However, the greatest incremental increase in revenue was found in the addition of one expanded-duty assistant and one chairside assistant to the practice of a dentist employing two traditional assistants. The average theoretical revenue per day in the surrogate practice involving one dentist, two expanded-duty assistants, and four chairside assistants was almost 64% greater than that produced by the dentist with two chairside assistants, and 19% greater than that produced by one dentist, one expanded-duty assistant, and three chairside assistants. The addition of one expanded-duty assistant enabled the dentist to treat 4.58 more patients a day, whereas the addition of two assistants enabled him to treat 10.0 more patients a day.