Good dental surgery design is much more than choosing the most attractive style and decor for your practice. It requires thoughtful layout planning and equipment selection to assist the workflow throughout the practice.

1. 150 Australasian Dental Practice November/December 2018
G
ood surgery design
is much more than
choosing the most
attractive style and
décor for your practice.
It requires thoughtful
layout planning and
equipment selection to assist workflow
throughout the practice.
Fashion should not override function
and it’s important to budget for both the
practice’s current and evolving needs
by allowing room to grow and choosing
up-to-date technology.
And while you want your new practice
to look good when planning your new
surgery build, the most important thing is
the way it functions now and in the future.
This requires suitable equipment that
provides the necessary functionality and
years of reliable service.
The most effective designs also con-
sider ergonomics and workflows to
reduce bottlenecks and unnecessary
standing, walking and twisting move-
ments in order to reach equipment
and consumables.
While a good surgery design com-
pany can assist in making the best use
of available space, it is essential to
first talk to your equipment supplier to
understand the space requirements of
key components.
This is vital in ensuring that the dental
team has an efficient and ergonomically
designed workspace and that ancillary
equipment such as x-ray arms can reach
the patient.
Even “big name” design companies
sometimes get this wrong if they have
not consulted with the equipment supplier
and installer first.
Experience counts
With more than 50 years’ experi-
ence in equipping dental surgeries
around the world, A-dec can take much of
the risk out of surgery design, thanks to
its knowledge of equipment requirements
and efficient surgery layouts.
Health funds, universities, numerous
state health departments, corporate and
private dentists and the Defence Forces
have all benefitted from better outcomes
by first seeking input from A-dec when
designing their clinical spaces.
A-dec also regularly works with repu-
table private surgery design companies to
ensure a consistent and predictable result
when your surgery is handed over.
A-dec has installed thousands of
individual items of equipment and com-
plete surgeries for many government
Avoid pitfalls when
designing your surgery By David Petrikas
surgery | DESIGN

2. November/December 2018 Australasian Dental Practice 151
departments and private dentists including
supplying the dental units; custom-
ordered cabinetry and the complete range
of ancillary equipment including Acteon
x-ray and OPG units; W&H handpieces;
surgical units; sterilisation systems and
instrument reprocessing units.
Based on this experience, A-dec can
help advise you on the layout of your
clinical areas to improve workflow and
comply with infection control proto-
cols including instrument tracking and
also with radiation requirements to help
achieve the certification.
For example, correct layout is vital for
infection control as cramped and poorly
designed sterilisation rooms can lead
to errors in instrument reprocessing by
failing to provide a logical workflow from
contaminated to sterile areas, resulting in
cross-contamination.
A-dec’s authorised equipment dealers
can also provide templates to builders and
dental fit-out companies to ensure under-
floor services and equipment are correctly
located in relation to walls and benches.
This can avoid costly workarounds later
in the building process.
Equipment choice important
Renowned for its legendary reli-
ability, A-dec has been consistently
rated Number One in the world’s largest
annual survey of dental equipment con-
ducted by US magazine DentalTown in its
“Townie” Awards.
A-dec and its equipment partners,
Acteon and W&H, have also earned
accolades for the quality and innovation
of their digital imaging, handpiece and
sterilisation equipment, including winning
several international design awards. These
features will make your practice more
efficient and help it remain up-to-date in
the face of technological advances.
That’s why it makes sense to speak to
A-dec before fitting out your practice to
ensure you have the equipment to match
your speciality and support the way
you work.
For example, all that most orthodontists
and paediatric dentists require to perform
their key tasks are a bare, slimline chair
that offers a non-intimidating and clean
environment that aids patient turnover.
A-dec chairs also feature class leading
height range, which is crucial to both
these specialties and ensures operators of
all sizes can work at the optimum height
while accessing the oral cavity without
having to crane their neck or bend over
the patient.
surgery | DESIGN

3. 152 Australasian Dental Practice November/December 2018
An A-dec LED operatory light, which
provides daylight balanced light, can be
ceiling-mounted to maintain an unclut-
tered chair and dynamic instruments can
be located discreetly to the side or rear of
the chair in a separate delivery system and
only brought out when required.
General dentists and other specialists,
on the other hand, often prefer a chair
mounted delivery system which has a
more compact footprint, with provision
for a chair-mounted monitor and light and
the option of a cuspidor (spittoon).
Ergonomics
One area where A-dec can greatly
assist is in supplying equipment
that provides superior ergonomics, built
around the principles of four-handed
dentistry and the type of procedures you
commonly perform.
Poor posture and repetitive bending and
twisting motions caused by poorly planned
clinical areas and equipment are a signifi-
cant cause of musculoskeletal disorders
among dental practitioners. Getting the
ergonomics right at the outset is vital in
ensuring your daily well-being and produc-
tivity as well as the longevity of your career.
That is why A-dec developed patient
chairs such as the A-dec 300, 400 and 500
with ultra thin flexible backrests and the
A-dec 545 double-pivoting round work
surface that can be ideally positioned
to provide access to hand instruments,
consumables and materials.
Like the delivery system, the A-dec
assistant’s work surface can be placed
within easy reach and then moved out of
the way to provide more space and assist
chair access and egress.
The revolutionary new A-dec 500
dentists and assistant’s stools also help
ensure the dental team maintain correct
posture during procedures, with the seat
cushion, oscillating armrests and torso
support all providing optimum support of
the pelvis and spine, without restricting
blood flow to the legs.
Which delivery system?
Twopopularoptionsarethe“traditional”
delivery system where instruments
and tubing hang from the delivery head,
and the “continental” delivery system
where the instruments lie on top of the
control head and are supported by whip
arms attached to the dental tubing.
The continental option is often praised
for its ergonomic benefits as the instru-
ments are partly supported taking
pressure off the wrist and can be placed
and retrieved on the delivery head
without taking your eyes of the patient.
The support arms also prevent expen-
sive handpieces and cameras from falling
onto the floor.
A-dec delivery systems include
separate assistant’s instrumentation,
incorporating high and low speed suction
and chair and light controls, which make it
easier for the assistant to adopt true four-
handed dentistry and support the dentist
during procedures.
Regardless of who you choose to build
your next dental surgery, make sure you
speak to A-dec first to understand the
range of dental equipment, sterilisa-
tion and digital imaging options to make
your practice compliant, efficient, ergo-
nomic and productive, both now and
in the future.
Further information is available from
A-dec Australia. Call 1800-225-010
or visit a-dec.com to find your nearest
A-dec Territory Manager or authorised
A-dec service dealer.