Content Dam Diq Online Articles 2016 01 2016 Dreamstime Article Thumbnail

2016: Bring it on! An e-prescribing solution and salivary diagnostics to treat periodontal disease

Jan. 11, 2016
What would you like to see in the dental profession in 2016? Would you like the ability to make a few keystrokes, have the prescription recorded in the patient record, and simultaneously be sent to the pharmacy electronically, and say to the patient: "The medication is at your pharmacy and is ready to be picked up!" How would your patients respond if you were able to say they did not need to make two trips—one to drop off the prescription and one to pick it up?

What services and procedures are we still doing the same way we were in the 1960s? Are you still handwriting prescriptions on a pad of paper? Are you still tapping a keyboard to fill out the prescription and picking up the paper from the printer to give to the patient? Is this exactly or essentially the same way you were generating prescriptions since you were in dental school?

Would you like the ability to make a few keystrokes, have the prescription recorded in the patient record, and simultaneously be sent to the pharmacy electronically, and say to the patient: "The medication is at your pharmacy and is ready to be picked up!" How would your patients respond if you were able to say they did not need to make two trips—one to drop off the prescription and one to pick it up?

I can't reveal all of the details yet, but there are some leading-edge companies bringing an e-prescribing solution to the market along with some very advanced salivary diagnostic technology to prescribe the most appropriate antibiotics to treat periodontal disease with laser-like precision. But I'd like your feedback. Is this something you'd find valuable? Is it time we moved dentistry into the 21st century?

Post a response on my blog, and have a Happy New Year!

READ MORE OF DR. NAGELBERG’S BLOGS . . .

Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS, has practiced general dentistry in suburban Philadelphia for more than 30 years. He is a speaker, advisory board member, consultant, and key opinion leader for several dental companies and organizations. He lectures on a variety of topics centered on understanding the impact dental professionals have beyond the oral cavity. Contact Dr. Nagelberg at [email protected].
About the Author

Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS, has practiced general dentistry in suburban Philadelphia for more than 30 years. He has served on many advisory boards and as a consultant and key opinion leader for a variety of companies and organizations. Dr. Nagelberg is the Director of Medical Affairs at OraPharma, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC. His practice and other professional activities are centered on the impact dental professionals have beyond the oral cavity. Contact Dr. Nagelberg at [email protected].

Updated May 2022