Practice Administration and Management
Practice administration and management tests the systems that keep a dental office running: scheduling, patient flow, regulatory routines, supplies, and daily oversight. Questions often ask what an administrator should do first or which control prevents a recurring problem, so link each answer to a written policy, a measurable target, and a responsible role.
Scheduling and capacity
Use procedure-specific time units rather than uniform slots. Block scheduling reserves longer blocks for crown, surgical, or multiple-restoration visits; buffers absorb emergencies; recall intervals follow risk and provider direction. Calculate capacity as clinical hours × operatories × average production per operatory-hour, then compare with the daily goal. Confirm appointments, publish a no-show and late policy, and track utilization, not just booked slots.
Regulatory and safety administration
Maintain current licensure and delegation records, an office policy manual, job descriptions, and evidence of OSHA and HIPAA training. The exposure control plan is reviewed at least annually; emergency drills, AED and oxygen checks, and infection-control logs are documented. Know that clinical delegation is set by state dental practice acts, not by office preference.
Supplies and inventory
Set par levels for high-use items, use first-expired-first-out rotation, and reconcile purchase orders against packing slips. Track backorders and substitutes before they interrupt care. A discount is not a saving if it ties up cash or creates expired stock.
Worked example
A two-operatory office is open eight hours, but the dentist has a one-hour meeting, leaving 14 operatory-hours of clinical time. Average production is $280 per operatory-hour. Capacity is 14 × $280 = $3,920. The daily goal is $4,200, a $280 gap, equal to one operatory-hour. The administrator should add one productive hour, such as a 60-minute restorative visit, or extend one operatory, rather than fill 15-minute gaps with low-value recalls. The reasoning: schedule to production capacity and the goal, while protecting procedure time and staff breaks.
Traps that cost marks
Overbooking without enough assistants or sterilization capacity; treating recall as always flexible; assuming annual OSHA review is optional; confusing state scope-of-practice rules with office custom; buying sale stock without par levels or storage; and changing the schedule without checking provider and lab timelines.