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| practice management 28 laser 3 2016 approximate average that can keep the practice on profitable ends. The procedures that can be effectively and effi- cientlyperformedbyusinglaserinthepaediatricden- tal office are: 1. Restorative laser dentistry 2. Laser-assisted endodontics 3. Frenectomy 4. Sealants 5. Minor surgical procedures 6. Tooth desensitisation 7. Lingual fraenum removal 8. Exposure of unerupted teeth 9. Laser tooth whitening 10. Treatmentoforthodonticordrug-inducedhyper- trophy. Return on Investment16 Once the laser is bought, pedonomics suggests that there should be a fair return on the investment made. Just to break even, the income generated by laser must include covering the price of the laser, maintenance, supplies as well as an additional amount to cover the income lost from the money used to purchase the equipment and not otherwise generating its own income. The profit that exceeds the break-even point is called the return on invest- ment (ROI). Some of the items that should be included in ROI would entail the profit from the following: 1. Novelty of procedures with lasers. 2. Reduced out-referrals, caused by the new laser procedures. 3. In-referralsduetotheuniquenessoflaser-assisted paediatric dentistry. Tracking To actually calculate the accurate financial return of introducing the laser to the practice, the income derived from laser must be monitored over time. A new terminology used in pedonomics is KPIs which stands for key performance indicators. These are the factors that are used in evaluating the success of the profit centre as follows: 1. Laser-assisted procedures. 2. In-referrals for laser procedures. 3. New patients that come asking for laser. If KPIs seem to increase or even remain at a good level, this indicates that break-even and the much awaited ROI will not be far off. Unique selling preposition The USP is the unique cutting edge of any practice. When it comes to paediatric dentistry, lasers are in- deedauniquesellingprepositionduetotheircontem- porary benefits. In the field of marketing and man- agement,USPisdefinedasthefactororconsideration presentedbyasellerasthereasonthattheproductor service is different from and better than that of the competition. The USP of lasers are as follows: 1. Non-surgical minor procedures. 2. No drill. 3. No anaesthesia. 4. No pressure on or contact with the tooth. 5. Easier healing. 6. Less need of analgesics and antibiotics. Six Sigma approach of pedonomics Six Sigma is defined as the set of techniques and tools for process improvement. It was introduced by Engineer Will Smith in 1986 while working at Mo- torola.JackWelchcentralisedthisasabusinessstrat- egy in 1995 at General Motors. The main implication of the Six Sigma approach in any industry is to be flawless and error-free. It uses a set of quality-man- agementmethods,mainlyempiricalorstatistical,and creates a spatial infrastructure of people within the organisation that are aware of this method. ASixSigmaprocessisoneinwhich99.99966 %of all opportunities to produce some feature of a part are statistically expected to be free of defects (3.4 defective features per million opportunities). When applied to medical or healthcare systems, the most important dimensions of the quality of the medical act are: – – Safety – – Professional competence – – Acceptability – – Efficacy and Relevance – – Efficiency 17 ref. – – Accessibility – – Continuity – – Interpersonal relations – – The patient’s satisfaction – – Patient compliance. Other procedures 1 Laser Cosmodent Cosmodent 2250 1800 2 Laser Frenectomy Frenectomy 3100 2500 3 Laser Sealant Sealant 550 450 4 Laser Pulpectomy Pulpectomy 2100 1850 Table 2 Table 2: Cost comparison in UAE Dirhams between laser and conventional treatment. 32016 22501800 31002500 550450 21001850 Table 2