Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Intro to My Findings on Digital X-ray vs. Traditional X-ray Technology


    How many of you when your hear the word "dentist" cringe and think of pain? Most likely a majority of you! Unfortunately, dentists get a bad reputation as health professionals as being the white coat mad scientists that want to mess with a very personal part of your body-your mouth! The truth is, when I hear the word "dentist", I think my career choice and possibly (hopefully) becoming a dentist one day. I look forward to one day having patients that hear "dentist" and look forward to receiving high quality oral healthcare from a guy that loves his job and giving back. In the meantime, all I can do for you folks is provide some insightful information on what different dentists (and possibly yours) are using on a daily basis to check out those teeth of yours. I've had the opportunity to check  quite a few dental practices/clinics as an intern, volunteer, and patient so I thought I knew  a lot about how things work in the dental field. Well...When I thought about it a little (a lot) more, I realized that there is a huge technological sphere surrounding the dental field that is constantly growing.

    I decided to delve deeper into the discoverer of cavities and overall oral hygiene: the X-ray! This led me and my research to contact the source that knows best about the X-ray machine and ask various dentists about  "What type of technology is used in their office and how may it be different than others?" 

    I had also decided to survey people in person and ask "How many of your dentists have the following technology? Traditional x-ray machines and generators, digital x-rays and computers, CAD-CAM, other."

http://www.fiveparksdental.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/digital_x-ray196133407_std.136182132.jpg  Figure 1. Digital X-ray Technology
                       
     I surveyed several different dentists located in various demographics about the X-ray technology that they use in their office along with other questions pertaining to the subject. The survey was written by me and based on what I felt were appropriate questions for the dental professionals regarding my topic of research.

http://antiquescientifica.com/photo_x-ray_and_disk_generator_with_doctor_c._1900.jpg
                                  Figure 2. 1900 X-ray machine and generator

    Technology in society is constantly getting more advanced and in order to keep up with it, dental professionals are forced to pay a lot of money. I think my project reflects how much the younger demographic may not recognize how paramount going into the dentist is and getting a digital x-ray may be while the latter, adults cannot only look back and see and extreme difference on dental X-rays and procedures, but can also project a possible future more advanced.

Figure 3. CAD-CAM Technology

Monday, March 19, 2012

Annotated Bibliography

Emmot DDS, Larry. "Digital Workflow in the Dental Practice." Dentalcompare.com. Dental Compare Articles, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dentalcompare.com/Featured-Articles/38151-Digital-Workflow-in-the-Dental-Practice/>. 
    This article is about how if technology in the dental practice isn’t up to par, the workflow will be much faster. It isn’t just regarding the technology such as x-ray machines though, the author discusses how moving things from place to place, such as documents and paperwork, it is time consuming and will ultimately lead to a loss of income in comparison to those who have updated technology and computers throughout the whole office.                                                                                                                                    

Flucke DDS, John. "Digital Radiography Is No Longer a Matter of "if;" It's a Matter of "when."w-far-sensors-have-come."Digital Sensors 360ยบ: A Sense of How Far Sensors Have Come. Dental Products Report, 13 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dentalproductsreport.com/dental/article/digital-sensors-360-sense-how-far-sensors-have-come>.                                                            ``                                                        This article covers how the digital x-ray sensors have revolutionized dental technology as far as x-rays and x-ray machines are concerned; but the sensors had not stopped growing as a technological power force amongst practices. Companies are continuing to produce smaller and more accurate sensors that pick up all details for a dentist to work with.

Gordon DDS, Jerry. "Dental X-Rays and Digital Technology." Dentistry.com. Futuredontics Inc., Jan. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dentistry.com/treatments/dental-exam/dental-xrays-and-digital-technology>.                                                                                                          This article discusses the pros to digital x-rays and how they not only help with finding cavities but also many other oral hygiene conditions. The authors notes that dental x-rays are important for many reasons including exposing hidden tooth decay; reveaingl a tooth abscess, cyst or tumor; showing impacted or extra teeth; and they can also help determine the condition of dental fillingstooth crownsdental bridges and root canals. Also, she covers how people should not be concerned with x-ray radiation because it is very minimal.

Gyton DDS, MBA, MPH, Brad, and Misty H. Clark. "5 of the Hottest Tech Trends for 2012." DentistryIQ. PennWell Dental Group and Jameson Management, 08 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dentistryiq.com/index/display/article-display/5304826911/articles/dentisryiq/clinical/2012/03/5_of_the_hottest_tech_trends_for_2012.html>.                                                                                                                                               This article touches base on the important of technology in dental practices right now but includes how IPads and social media can help expand a dentist’s practice. According to the author, the 5 hottest tech trends for dental offices include lasers, digital scanning, endodontic technology, facebooking and social media, along with the use of gadgets such as the IPad. A part of the article that stood out to me was when the author mentioned  that “encouraging patients to obtain deals, redeem coupons, and check in at a dental practice as they’re logged into their Facebook accounts are becoming more strategic ways for dentists to increase awareness of a practice”.

Myers DDS, FAGD, Terry L. "When Less Is More — Technology Increases Minimally Invasive Procedures." Dexis.com-Making Technology Count. Dental Economics, May 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dexis.com/UserFiles/File/sec_multimedia/articles/dental_economics/DE_0510_TM_MinimallyInvasive.pdf>.                                                                                                      
    The articles suggests that when technology improves a dentists reputation, adds to one’s  repertoire, and helps to reduce pain and anxiety and this counts toward creating a better experience for both the dentist and patient. The authors goes on to explain that from cavity detectors to cone beam, over the years researchers and engineers of dental instruments and equipment have empowered dentists to implement more minimally invasive treatments. The author discusses how both lasers and digital x-rays are far better than regular x-rays in finding cavities and is also not invasive.

Plus DDS, Suni. "Digital X-ray Imaging — the Top Dental X-ray Systems on the Market." DMC.com. Denists Management Corporation, Spring 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.softwarefordentists.com/index.php/2011030290/Digital-Radiography-Articles/digital-xray-imaging.html>.                                                                                              This article covers a new technology that is being used by many dentists that want a more modern practice with modern technology. This x-ray machine includes high-resolution dental X-rays that  help you see more detail and improve diagnoses, one-shot “cephalometric” images save time and improves the patient’s experience, panoramic imaging is crystal clear, with optional bite wing capture, and the technology is upgradable the dentists’ practice grows.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Saxena, Priyank. "All About Modern Dental Technology." Sooper Articles. Yodle, 30 Dec. 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. <http://www.sooperarticles.com/health-fitness-articles/dental-care-articles/all-about-modern-dental-technology-32412.html>. 
    This article also touches on how advancements within technology are contributing to dentists and patients in many ways. The faster technology of digital x-rays allows for easier perception of problems with oral hygiene and can conveniently be sent over (the x-ray that is) to another dentist or specialist if need be. The author also discusses how dental lasers and cameras are constantly evolving and is critical for cosmetic dentistry. The author suggests that although newer technology may be repelled by some dentists unwilling to change their ways, it is important to adapt because it will produce more cliental and a faster paced office.

Shellard DMD, Edward. "Carestream Dental Launches the CS 9300 and CS 9300C in Canada." - DentistryIQ. PennWell Dental Group and Caresteam Dental, 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dentistryiq.com/index/display/article-display/4214798390/articles/dentisryiq/products/technology/2012/3/carestream-dental.html>. 
    This article provides information regarding two x-ray products that were released recently in Canada called the CS 9300 and CS9300C image systems. The author states that “both imaging systems provide exceptional image quality and ultimate practice flexibility, covering a wide scope of clinical needs.” The article provided me with information with up to date technology with dental equipment but there is a huge array of products and companies all over the world. This one is common, providing 2D and 3D imaging, for the dentists and patient.

Standley RDA, BS, MA, Ellen, and Heidi Emerling RDH, PhD. "Dental Radiography-Technology, Infection Control, and Exposure Guidelines." RDH-The National Magazine for Dental Hygiene Professionals. Dentistry IQ, Oct. 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. <http://www.rdhmag.com/index/display/article-display/5074450794/articles/rdh/volume-31/issue-1/features/dental-radiography.html>.   
    This article discussed both film and filmless (digital) images, safe practices for infection control, and current exposure guidelines regarding technology and safety in the dental field. The authors goes back into history and talks about the discovery of x-rays in 1896 by a man named Roentgem, who received a Nobel prize for his discovery in 1901. The article also goes further with in depth analysis of different techniques that have been used in the past for x-raying people and even discusses some trial and error circumstances that had been performed in the past.

"X-rays and Intraoral Pictures." Dental X-Rays: Types, Safety, Children Dental X-Rays. Aetna, 30 June 2003. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/Oral-and-Dental-Health-Basics/Checkups-and-Dental-Procedures/X-Rays/article/X-rays-and-Intraoral-Pictures.cvsp>.   
    This article, which came off the Colgate website, provides information for both the patient and the dentist. This article provides insight into the types of x-rays: x-rays are divided into two main categories, intraoral, which means that the x-ray film is inside the mouth, and extraoral, which means that the film is outside the mouth. The article also covers the different types of intraoral x-rays to show different parts of the teeth including bite wing x-rays (highlight crowns of back teeth), periapical x-rays (which highlights only one or two teeth from the root to the top of the tooth), and occlusal x-rays (which are larger x-rays, that highlight tooth development and placement).  



Sunday, March 18, 2012

Data, Methods, and Ethics

       Between March 3rd, 2012 and March 24, 2012, I interviewed a total of six dentists over the phone and collected data via a survey I wrote. The phone conversations lasted anywhere between 8-15 minutes depending on how in depth the dental professionals decided to get regarding the questions administered. The questions focused on technology in their designated practices and focusing on the type of X-ray technology that they used in their office as well as related questions to this topic. Also, between March 21st and March 23rd I asked a total of 20 friends, family, and acquaintances in person and by phone "How many of your dentists have the following technology? Traditional x-ray machines and generators, digital x-rays and computers, CAD-CAM, other."
      Technically, since the research involved surveying of subjects whose responses were recorded so that the human subjects could not be "identified, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects" and didn't fall under the category of "[I]f subject's responses became known outside the research could they place the subject at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subject’s financial standing or employability?" (http://www.scu.edu/provost/research/Human-Subjects.cfm) my interviews were applicable to being an exempt review. But before each interview with the dentists I still started off by saying the following: "I am conducting a research project regarding technology in the dental field for a class I am taking this quarter and your contribution would be very appreciated. There are a total of 16 questions and will take 5-15 minutes of your time. As a pre-dental student, I appreciate and understand the time your are taking out of your busy day, so thank you, and of course, anonymity will remain in force". For the  latter question directed towards my family and friends, I made them aware that I am taking a class that requires a research presentation and I research technology in the dental field. I added that "their answer will be greatly appreciated but they are not required to answer if they decide, if so, any name used or discussion will be used as a pseudonym." All answers were written down my hand with pen and paper and the data was computed in Excel on my computer. My first survey with a dentist took a lot longer because I wrote the responses on paper with pen but for the following surveys I typed the responses on my computer for easy computing and it was much more efficient. Since I have shadowed the dentists and made it aware to the one's I have seen for checkups or interned, it was very easy for me to reach the dentists around my home area. Also, because both my parents see different dentists and have a friendly relationship with them, they were aware of me being interested in not only dentistry for my project, but also as a career choice. 



Are you relating your own experiences? 
        I'm relating this project to my own experiences in the sense that I've shadowed and interned at different dental practices and clinics and noticed how there is different technology in almost every office I've seen. One clinic that stood out to me that I'll call "SJGH", was designated for low income households and families that could not afford private practice dental visits. At that clinic, the technology was limited to x-ray films, the view box (light box where films were put on to read), and film developers. This was different than the other practice where I shadowed a dentist who owned more advanced x-ray technology that was digital. There, they would take an x-ray by putting a sensory in your mouth (image seen above), and an x-ray is taken by an "intraoral radiograph machine" and within minutes the x-ray pops up on a computer. (see image below)


http://www.dental-xray-equipment.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Digital_Dental_Xray.jpg

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Analysis

I asked a total of 20 family, friends, and acquantinces about what type of technology their dentist had in their office: The options were digital x-rays, traditional (film) x-rays, advanced technology such as CAD-CAM, or Other (which included that they didn't know). I used Excel to input my data and create a graph. 

Figure 1. Dental Technology Statistics Survey Results

The majority of the the responses was that the patients' dentists had digital x-ray technology in their office. The number of people who were part of the 55% population of digital x-ray responses was n=11. The second largest response was traditional x-rays which resulted in 30% of the people whose dentists still had traditional x-ray machines and films (n=6) in this category. The remaining respondents in my study responded that only n=1 person had a dentist with a CAD-CAM that they knew of, while n=2 responded to "other". The two people that responded to the "other" said that they didn't know what type of technology their dentist had in the office. 

I interviewed a total of six dentists and asked them the following questions: 
1. How long have you been in practice? 
2.How many of your dental school peers/colleagues would you say you know has the same technology?
3. Is there a difference in age or location?                                                                                                                          4. How long have you had the technology?
 -What prompted you to get it?                                                                                                                                                                          
 -Why have you not resorted to newer technology (if applicable)?
6. What is the relative cost of this technology?
7. On a scale of 1-5 how affective is it?                                                                                                                                                                 -Is one more effective than the other?                                                                                                                                                       -Ease: Not any easier, Easier, Significantly Easier, Very Easy   
                                                                                                                                                                                             8. Scale of 1-5 how easy was it to adapt to?
9. What percentage had the same technology in dental school?
10. On a scale of 1-5 how many of your patients ask you about the technology?                                                                11. What are some advantages/disadvantages of your current technology in the office?
            -space?
            -convenience?
            -accuracy?
            -speed?

12. On a scale of 1-5 how much of a positive impact did it have on your practice?
13. On a scale of 1-5 how much of a negative impact did it have on your practice. Any examples?
14. On a scale of 1-10 how pleased would you say your employees are with the current technology in the office? Clients? Colleagues?
15. How important is it to you as a professional to have "up to date" technology in the office?
16. How important is it to you as a person to have up to date technology?
17. Does your practice engage in social media such as Facebook, internet sites, text messages, etc.?

Because of my small sample size, I am representing a majority of the questions by simple analysis through text but will include graphs based on the technology that the dentists had in the work place along with the "ease" (#7) of their technology and importance of having up to date technology in their office (#15). 

Among the six dentists that I interviewed, the mean of the years being in practice was 26.8 years. (n=28, 32, 28, 36, 7, and 30 years of practice). In the same order, I will be regarding them as "Dr. A, Dr. B, Dr. D, Dr. R, Dr. C, and Dr. Q". The outlier was the dentist who had been younger in comparison to the rest of the dentists and had only been in practice for 7 years. When asked how many of their peers or colleagues could say they had the same technology as them, only 33% (2 out of 6) dentists said they knew of others that had the same technology while the remainder responded that "they didn't know". When asked if they believed there was a difference in age or location regarding the technology in dental practices, they all had agreed that age was a paramount factor. The majority response was summed up by "Dr. Q" who is quoted, "The younger dentists tend to work with what they have when they start out, but once they get enough income, they are faster to purchase the more up to date technology." This was reassured by "Dr. C" who was the youngest dentist, saying that "he purchased digital x-rays as soon as he could cover the higher expense". As far as demographics, "Dr. Q" also mentioned that "bigger cities tend to have more advanced technology than smaller cities", which ended up summing up the rest of the dental professionals' answers.

All of the dentists besides "Dr. A, C, and D" had the same technology since they had started their own practice. While Drs. A, C, and D had digital x-ray and technology, Drs. B, R, and Q still had traditional x-ray machines and used films to examine teeth. All of them had the smaller sensors to put in the patients mouth in order to obtain an x-ray. The average costs of the sensors (according to the dentists interviewed) was $10,000 a piece and ranged from having 4-6 in the office. The dentists with traditional x-ray machines and x-ray developers said that their machines ranged from $50,000-60,000. The dentists who had digital x-ray machines along with the software reported that the average relative cost ranged from $100,000-130,000. For both technologies there were required maintenance and replacement fees (for traditional x-rays there was a required monthly maintenance fee of around $2,000 along with replacement of ink and films, a $1,000 fee), while the digital x-ray machines required very little uptake. Only one of the three had a person come in within the last 6 months for a part to be fixed. Dr. Q had mentioned that he had an x-ray film generator that went 12 years without any problems and the only reason he bought another generator was for the dental hygienists in the office to have one in a separate room. 


Figure 2. Percentage of Dentists with Certain X-Ray Technology

I found that although all of the dentists agreed that having digital X-ray technology had far more advantages such as the ability to see things more clearer, the computer system is much faster and convenient than the traditional x-ray film generators, and it was much more compatible (able to email them to other dentists if need be), the three that didn't have the digital machines did not see themselves upgrading before they retired. When asked why, all three respondents said that it was too expensive and that they were happy with the traditional X-ray technology that they had in their office. 
When asked the "ease" of using their technology the responses from the dentists are shown below in figure 3. 


Figure 3. Percentage of Dentists Responses Regarding Ease of Technology

While a majority of the responses were very easy, the only "easy" response came from Dr. Q, who had still used traditional X-rays. The reason he said for this was "because he doesn't have as up-to-date sensors that most dentists have and they are "bulgy"...it is often harder for patients to deal with a bigger sensor". Dr. R mentioned to me that before he bought smaller sensors, one patient refused to get X-rays because the large sensor triggered a gag reflex, "that's when I knew I had to purchase smaller sensors" regarded Dr. R. The dentists who had digital X-ray technology all responded that it was "very easy" to use but on the contrary, the dentists who had the digital X-ray devices rated adaptability on a scale of 1-5 (1 being easy, 5 being hard) all "3's", "there is definitely a learning curve to the computer software" mentioned Dr. A. The traditional X-ray dentists all mentioned that adaptability was a 1 because that's what they were taught in dental school.

Out of all the dentists that I interviewed, only one, the younger Dr. C said that having personal up to date technology was important to him. He was the only one out of all of the other dentists to have a Facebook page for his practice. While the others believed that it was important and recognized that using social media was vital to a growing client and business rate, none of them used these resources. Dr. D has said that "he knows that other dentists are starting to make websites for their practice or use Facebook to advertise, but he doesn't do it because he does not know how". I believe that the reason for all but one of the dentists not feeling that the use of social media and websites is important  is because they already have had an established practice for years and don't feel the need to reach out towards a complicated part of the social sphere.

When I asked the respondents about how important it was to have up-to-date technology in their practice, the majority said "very important". All but one dentist, Dr. Q, responded that he didn't think it was that important. The reason was actually mentioned by every single dentist I had interviewed and I had not mentioned or hinted the following to them: They ALL mentioned on their own that no matter what technology a dentist has, it comes down to the dental professional's demeanor and quality of work in regards to cliental and business. As Dr. D mentioned "if your a dentist who has the best technology around the whole state but you don't have a friendly/caring personality and don't do the job to the best of your ability...having that technology is pointless. It is all relative to the dental professionals' actions on how successful they are in their practice". 





Thursday, March 1, 2012

Conclusions and Reflection

     I found that technology in the dental field depends on a couple factors. Age, demographics, knowledge of social media, and money. Although I believe, and the dentists I interviewed believe that having up to date technological equipment and software in their own dental practice is important, it is not important enough to some to take action. To some, it seems as if they don't want to spend a lot of money on something that they believe will do more for their practice and business than their traditional technology already does for them and this is due to already established relationships with patients and clients. Although it is crucial in the dental health field to stay up to par with the most modern technology, it is also a gamble to purchase very expensive equipment that just come out and may have some flaws. But, while dentists with traditional X-rays say that digital X-rays may not be necessary...the truth is that digital X-ray technology offers more convenience, speed, capabilities, and ease. With the younger dentist that I interviewed, having up to date technology in his practice was extremely important, and he also made sure he had a Facebook page and website regarding his practice so that it was easier for others to learn about not only his career, but also himself. Dentistry is a very personable profession that requires not only a hefty price on schooling, buying a practice, and technological equipment, but it entails personality, care, and people skills. With recent and modern education of technological advances along with people skills, the dental health career in my perspective, develops a prime example of how technology and the dental field can work together in order to give back to society in a positive way.