The dental office of the 21st century continues
to evolve. Many systems that were paper and film-based are now being replaced
by digital counterparts. In the late 1980’s and 1990’s, intraoral cameras were
the “hot” technology. However, in the past 10 years, there’s little doubt that
digital radiography is the most in-demand technology that dentists are
considering. A recent survey in Dental Products Report showed that over 40% of
dentists currently have digital x-ray systems. In my personal experience, that
number is a bit high (it’s probably closer to 25-30%), but I do believe that at
least another 15-20% of dentists do plan to add this technology in the next
12-18 months.
In my conversations with dentists, there are a number of
reasons why offices have not taken the plunge with digital radiography. Some
are worried that the image quality is not on par with film. Others are
concerned about comfort issues. Still others worry about the myriad of options
and simply find it overwhelming. However, the number one reason given for
hesitation is the cost.
Most offices, when they first start exploring digital radiography,
are surprised to learn about the cost of not just the systems, but the entire
infrastructure that’s required. This infrastructure extends to many different
systems, including:
- The
computer server. Digital x-ray images take up far more hard drive storage
than practice management data, so many offices will need to upgrade their
servers accordingly.
- Computers
in the operatories. A good ½ of all offices still do not have computers in
the ops, so there is the expense and challenge of adding a computer, one
to two monitors, mounts, and wireless keyboards and mice.
- Monitors.
To view digital images, it’s ideal to use a monitor that has a high
contrast ratio, so many offices will need to replace their older monitors.
- Printers.
Laser printers are not a good option for printing images, so offices will
need either an inkjet or color laser printer.
- Data
backup. Now that the office is digital, having a good backup protocol is
critical, and often, more expensive and extensive systems are needed.
While all of these systems must be considered in a perfect
world, it’s important for dentists to understand that many options exist. For
the practice that wants to get into digital radiography but has a more limited
budget, an excellent option already exists: laptops. Many offices already use
laptops but aren’t aware that these same laptops can be used for digital
radiography. One of the companies that have always promoted the use of laptops
is DEXIS, and they are still a good option. Since the DEXIS system uses a PC
Card interface, the same interface that is used in almost every laptop on the
market, it makes it a very compact and portable solution. Most other vendors
uses USB boxes, which are still completely compatible with laptops, although it
adds one extra small box that needs to be carried with the sensor and laptop.
In this scenario, most offices can get into digital radiography
for under $16,000…sure, it’s not cheap, but far less than the $40,000-$50,000
that it costs to do a full overhaul of the technology systems. What’s also nice
about this approach is that once the office can move forward with upgrading of
the infrastructure, the laptop can still be utilized in the office, either in a
clinical or administrative setting.
Using a laptop is a great option for offices that want to
get into digital radiography now. You
can still have the same functionality as you’d have with a desktop system, and
it’s a solid investment since that same laptop can be used in a more advanced
network configuration should the office decide to go that route down the road.
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