AREAS OF ORTHODONTIC DENTAL PRACTICE

SUPPORT

ROLES OF PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS IN THE

ORTHODONTIC DENTAL PRACTICE
Zari Torres
GOAL

Identify team members and

their roles in the orthodontic
dental office
 WHO’S WHO IN THE DENTAL TEAM?
o Clearly defined job descriptions and responsibilities are the backbone of the success of an employee
and of the practice.
o A job description should outline the duties of the position as clearly as possible.
o The documented job description includes the standards for the position and qualifications for the
position.
o It serves as a guideline for hiring, interviewing, and future training.
o The job description also sets the groundwork for performance evaluations and managing the
employee effectively.

PRM 3 2024XX
 DENTIST
To provide patients with the highest
quality of care, dentists work along-
side dental nurses, hygienists,
therapists, technicians, practice
managers and receptionists.
PRM
o Qualifications
o After graduating, most dentists choose to work in
general dental practice and undertake a vocational
training programme during which they work under the
supervision of an experienced dentist appointed as their
vocational trainer and mentor.
o Once qualified, dentists are required to commit to their
continued professional development by meeting criteria
for lifelong learning. Practitioners must provide
evidence of having met these criteria to renew their
registration, without which they are not permitted to
carry out acts of dentistry.
4 2024
 o Qualifications
o In general dental practices, the initial training for new
dental nurses is conducted by dentists and senior
nurses.
DENTAL NURSES
Dental nurses play an essential role in the smooth running of the treatment room by assisting
dentists, therapists and hygienists in the provision of dental treatments.
With detailed knowledge of treatment procedures, nurses make materials and instruments
readily available to clinicians as required and provide suction to keep the operating area clear
and dry for the clinician to work in and for the patient’s comfort.
Nurses are responsible for ensuring the patient’s comfort and safety during their appointment.
Before each appointment, the dental nurse prepares the treatment room.
During assessment visits (examinations), the dental nurse records the dentist’s findings in the
patient’s records.
When the patient leaves the treatment room, the dental nurse performs stringent cross-infection
control measures, decontaminating clinical areas and sterilising all of the instruments.

PRM 5 2024
 HYGIENIST
Their role is concerned with patient o Qualifications
education and promoting oral health
as a part of a preventative approach o Many dental hygienists first qualify as dental nurses and
to dental disease. then apply to a school of dental hygiene to further their
careers.
After a dentist has made an
assessment of the patient’s treatment
needs, if necessary a scale and polish
appointment is made with the
hygienist who provides a thorough
cleaning of the teeth and gums and
advice on how to carry out effective
home care procedures such as
regular flossing and careful
brushing.

PRM 6 2024
 DENTAL
THERAPIST

Therapists carry out certain clinical o Qualifications

procedures such as simple fillings,
extractions and fitting crowns. They o Qualifications approved for enrolment include the
can also take impressions (moulds) Diploma in Dental Therapy or Combined Diploma in
and dental x-rays, treat patients Hygiene and Dental Therapy
under sedation and provide
injections.

PRM 7 2024
 FINANCIAL
PRACTICE
MANAGERS
The role of the practice manager is o Qualifications
relatively new to dental practice and
developed during the 1990s as dental o The skills and knowledge required to effectively manage
practices became more business focused. a dental practice are such that the qualifications
Responsible for the day-to-day smooth
running of the practice, practice available in dental practice management are at NVQ
managers oversee relevant legal, level 4 or above.
personnel and business issues, thus
enabling dentists to concentrate on
clinical matters.
The practice manager role varies from
practice to practice, often including
financial management tasks such as
book-keeping, payroll, budgeting,
predicting and managing cash flow and
preparing financial reports.

PRM 8 2024
 RECEPTIONISTS
Receptionists are the vital link o Qualifications
between the public and the practice
team. o Like the practice manager the receptionist has a non-
clinical role and is not required to hold recognised
The comfort and well-being of
qualifications or to be registered.
patients are of prime concern to the
receptionist. o Training and qualifications are at the employer’s
When speaking to patients over the discretion.
telephone, the receptionist should be
friendly and efficient

PRM 9 2024
 CARE
COORDINATORS
The care coordinator can spend time discussing treatment options to help
patients make informed choices about treatment options and their costs.

Care coordinators are communicators who spend time establishing patients’

perceived dental needs and showing them how they can be met with the
range of care options now available to patients, empowering patients to
make genuinely informed choices.

PRM 10 2024
 THE DENTAL
TRADE
The dental trade consists of the
companies providing goods and
services to the dental profession o Qualifications
including manufacturers,
wholesalers, distributors and service o Under the Association’s Code of Practice, members are
providers. responsible for ensuring that their staff has the ongoing
Some dental supply houses send experience, product knowledge and ability necessary to
their representatives out to practices perform their duties properly and effectively. This
to collect orders, whereas others includes effective and timely responses to customers’
prefer to trade online or through call queries.
centres.
Manufacturers employ reps to
introduce new products to dentists
by taking samples and showing
dentists the results of scientific trials
carried out on new materials.
PRM 11 2024
 DENTAL
TECHNICIANS
They make a wide range of dental o Qualifications
prosthetics including crowns,
bridges, orthodontic appliances and o Using college-based learning and effective evidence of
dentures. structured vocational training provided in the real
workplace, the foundation degree provides dental
technology education and training.
Although in most cases technicians
work in privately owned
commercial laboratories, providing
services to practices, dental
technicians are an integral part of
the dental team working to the
written instructions of dentists.

PRM 12 2024
 JOB DESCRIPTIONS

o Clearly defined job descriptions and responsibilities are the backbone of the success of an employee
and of the practice.
o A job description should outline the duties of the position as clearly as possible.
o The documented job description includes the standards for the position and qualifications for the
position.
o It serves as a guideline for hiring, interviewing, and future training.
o The job description also sets the groundwork for performance evaluations and managing the
employee effectively.

PRM 13 2024
 FINANCIAL
ADMINISTRATOR

Overall responsibilities:
• Responsible for administering the o Maintain an accounts receivable system:
day-to-day financial activities of the o Insurance:
practice; accounts receivable;
insurance; back up the appointment o Billing:
administrator

PRM 14 2024
 APPOINTMENT
ADMINISTRATOR

1.Overall responsibilities: o Office management:

• Responsible for maintaining o Patient management:
appearance and order of dental
office, patient scheduling; patient o Correspondence:
management and correspondence

PRM 15 2024
 DENTAL ASSISTANT

1.Overall responsibilities: o Clinical management:

• Responsible for assisting the
o Patient management:
dentist in the clinical treatment of
patients

PRM 16 2024
 DENTAL HYGIENIST

1.Overall objective: o Equipment management:

• Responsible for providing hygiene o Patient management:
treatment to patients

PRM 17 2024
 • Properly discard all disposable items from each visit
• Assemble soiled instruments and place in sterilization
area
• Clean treatment room surfaces with disinfectant solution
INFECTION • Presoak soiled instruments in a disinfectant
CONTROL • Process instruments in ultrasonic cleaner tank
• Rinse and soak treatment trays in disinfectant
• Sort and package instruments by tray for proper
sterilization
• Load, activate, and vent the sterilization unit according
to the manufacturer’s directions
• Store instruments and trays in appropriate places

PRM 18 2024
 THE PROFESSIONAL REGULATION COMMISSION (PRC) ADMINISTERS,
IMPLEMENTS, AND ENFORCES THE REGULATORY LAWS AND POLICIES OF THE
COUNTRY WITH RESPECT TO THE REGULATION AND LICENSING OF THE VARIOUS
PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS UNDER ITS JURISDICTION, INCLUDING THE
ENHANCEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL
STANDARDS AND ETHICS AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES AND
REGULATIONS RELATIVE THERETO.

PRM 19 2024
THE PHILIPPINE DENTAL ASSOCIATION IS A NON-STOCK,
NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION FOUNDED IN 1908. THE PDA
HAS ITS OWN CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS AND IS DULY OBJECTIVES
REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES & EXCHANGE
COMMISSION. ITS OPERATION IS GUIDED BY RA 9484 (THE 1. To maintain the standards of the dental profession through
NEW DENTAL ACT SIGNED BY HER EXCELLENCY, progressive dental education;
PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO LAST JUNE 2,
2007) AND THE REGULATORY CODE OF DENTAL 2. To encourage scientific researches and programs;
PRACTICE. 3. To safeguard dental health supporting sound dental health
legislation and public Health programs, and
THE PDA HAS GROWN THROUGH THE YEARS.
CURRENTLY, IT HAS AN ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP OF MORE 4. To foster mutual respect and fellowship among dentists and
THAN 15,000 FROM ITS 95 CHAPTERS NATIONWIDE. THE with individuals of Allied professions.
PDA HAS THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT; THE
EXECUTIVE PDA BOARD; THE LEGISLATIVE (HOUSE OF
DELEGATES) AND THE JUDICIAL (COUNCIL OF PAST
PRESIDENTS)
PRM 20 2024
REFERENCE

Ethics, Jurisprudence, and Practice Management in Dental Hygiene

by Charla J. Lautar

Dental Reception and Practice Management

By Glenys Bridges

PRM 21 2024