That’s right, I visited the Dentist today, a new one actually and while throughout the process (from waiting to getting my teeth checked etc), I was observing the workflow and how a Dental PACS would fit it. ( I reckon this topic warrant a full article so I’ll just touch on it briefly).
What really caught my interest was the process of how the dental x-ray was taken for me.
The dentist referred his assistant as a nurse but she performed the dental radiography for me and assisted the dentist throughout the procedure, I reckon she really is a dental assistant but in order to impress the patients (or avoid confusion), the assistant was referred as a ‘nurse’.
I was actually positioned by the dentist for 2 x rays (side of my face) and the assistant did one where it resemble a CT process, the acquisition device rotate 360 around my head (at the jaw level). What really was on my mind was the question of whether these chaps (both dentist and assistant) went through any formal training on radiation protection (I guess that’s the ‘side effect’ of working in a radiology department for about 5 years).
Still, it was an interesting experience and I reckon Dental PACS will get really popular very very soon.
For those interested in finding out more about Dental Informatics, surf on to Dental Informatics Online Community (DIOE)
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