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Charting Sneak Preview - Part II

Charting Sneak Preview - Part II



Datacon's charting system is getting a makeover. (Con't)

Last month we wrote about the upcoming update to our charting software and included some preliminary sample screens to provide some insight into our plans. We are continuing to work hard on this and hope to begin the new year with a whole new set of capabilities.

The tooth images that we have used for periodontal tooth charting for many years have been updated to show more detail and now include images for all primary and permanent teeth. Based on many years of feedback from clients utilizing our periodontal charting, we believe that these images can be an important patient education tool. To that end, we are making them as realistic as possible. Rather than just display an array of stock tooth images as some systems do, we are dynamically drawing and positioning each tooth based on the clinical data we have on file. is information includes everything you have already posted to your existing patients plus additional information we collect on the Oral Exam screen. is screen allows you to gather initial status for new patients and record ongoing changes. We are certain that our pedo practices will love the ability to easily record developmental progress at each visit. In addition to developmental status, this screen allows you to record existing dentistry and make adjustments to tooth spacing. Having the ability to adjust the chart for a diastema, post extraction mesial drift, and tipping will contribute to the patient's ability to relate to their oral heath care when viewing a treatment plan or periodontal exam.

We have included some screen shots of the the revised periodontal exam screens.

Perio Exam

The periodontal charting system has been completely integrated with the rest of the chart and both now support mixed dentition. The tabs across the top of the charting screen allow you to move quickly between the oral exam, treatment planning, and the periodontal exam. As before, you can create a script for each user to customize the sequence of readings entered during the exam but with this update, you will easily be able to interrupt the script by clicking on any tooth or reading to make changes. The Enter key takes you right back to the current script step. We have added arrows on both views of the teeth to show the direction the readings are to be taken.

Review

The Review button brings up a buccal view of the teeth. Any tooth can be selected and shown in detail. A second click on the tooth reverses the image to show the lingual view. This screen also provides access to an exam overview screen showing all readings, the comparison to previous readings, a full screen display, and the printed exam report.

Mixed Dentition

This example perio exam screen shows a patient aged 8 years and 9 months with a mix of primary and permanent teeth.

Teeth that are "Under Construction" are visible above the gum line. The software uses the patient's age to automatically determine the positions of the teeth using standard ages for initial calcification, crown completion, eruption, and root completion. These positions can be adjusted to reflect the actual development of the patient at hand. Eruption can be advanced by up to a year and delayed by up to 4 years using controls on the Development tab on the Oral Exam page.  The arch displayed to the right adjusts to accommodate whichever teeth are present and of course it shows the anatomy of both primary and permanent teeth as well as open spaces for missing teeth.