Increasing Productivity by Effective Use of Four-Handed Dentistry - Part 1: An Overview of the Concept

This course is the first of a three-part series and describes and discusses four‑handed dentistry and its integration in the modern dental office.

This course is designed to review the impact that four‑handed dentistry can make on productivity in the dental practice. New technology continues to be integrated into the modern dental office. However, no single product can increase productivity and reduce stress and strain on the dental team as much as using the concept of four‑handed dentistry.

The clinical dynamics of four‑handed dentistry is an ergonomic chairside concept performed by a well-trained dental team in an organized manner. Combined with the practice of ergonomics in the workplace, the concept of true four‑handed dentistry must be revisited by the dental profession and applied to both the clinical and business areas of the office. The young dentists of the 21st century have had minimal exposure to true four‑handed dentistry during their educational experiences due to budget cuts in many of the dental schools around the country.

The concept of four‑handed dentistry was born in the 1960s to overcome a manpower shortage. Demands were made on the dental profession to provide more services to more people due to the creation of third party payment. As the years have passed, this single concept, when done properly has become even more important. Even though the current economic period may have diminished the need based on third party payment, the profession must still seek to be more productive as the impact of regulatory agencies, managed care, and quality assurance places even greater demands on the practicing dentist to implement efficient clinical practice methods to ensure a safe, comfortable environment for the entire team. In this course the reader will explore the reasons why the concepts of true four‑handed dentistry, when applied to current technology, can increase productivity and reduce stress.