Fit for practice

If most of our buying decisions are based on price then the danger is we may ignore the longer term implications. Short term thinking can have a detrimental impact anywhere in a practice, but particularly so in the design and fitting of a surgery.

In my opinion, and indeed from my experience, a vast number of dental surgeries are poorly laid out and the cabinetry is inappropriate. Working to a budget is understandable and sensible, but if that budget forces you not to focus on the comfort and health of you and your team, then you are risking a great deal.

Those risks include suffering increasing levels of neck and back pain, repetitive strain injury, headaches and even indigestion which, although it may not sound serious, is no fun to work with. The bottom line is that you and your team may have to work through the pain or take time off from practice. So very quickly your decision to save money could actually cost you, even if that is just in locum fees. Statistics from Dentists’ Provident, in last year’s claims paid, show that 35 per cent of females and 26 per cent of males were paid for musculoskeletal disorders, with claims totalling over £1.2m.