Abstract
Background: In order to protect dental teams and their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, dentists have had to adopt several measures (operating and post-operating procedures) which may increase the total treatment time and costs relating to individual protective measures. This paper will propose a thorough analysis of operating dentistry procedures, comparing the economic performance of the activity in a dental surgery before and after the adoption of these protective measures, which are required to contain the risk of SARS-COV-2 infections. Methods: The economic analysis is articulated in three approaches. Firstly, it assesses a reduction in markup by maintaining current charges (A); alternatively, it suggests revised charges to adopt in order to maintain unvaried levels of markup (B). And the third Approach (C) examines available dental treatments, highlighting how to profitably combine treatment volumes to reduce markup loss or a restricted increase in dental charges. Results: Maintaining dental charges could cause a loss in markup, even rising to 200% (A); attempting to maintain unvaried levels of markup will result in an increase in dental charges, even at 100% (B); and varying the volumes of the single dental treatments on offer (increasing those which current research indicates as the most profitable) could mitigate the economic impact of the measures to prevent the transmission of SARS-COV-2 (C). Conclusions: The authors of this paper provide managerial insights which can assist the dentist-entrepreneur to become aware of the boundaries of the economic consequences of governmental measures in containing the virus infection.
Highlights
From the first days of the containing of the COVID-19 pandemic, dental activity throughout the world has been drastically interrupted and thereafter characterised by uncertainty and subject to revised measures
In order to obviate such challenges, the dentist has been obliged to adopt a series of protective measures, all of which are having a marked financial impact on finances and a lengthening of treatment times
It can be pondered as to how much the markup loss, the difference between the post-COVID and pre-COVID markup, (P∗ − P) per treatment unit (V ∗ ) is worth if dental charges remain unchanged: (p∗ − c∗ )·V ∗ − (p − c)·V
Summary
From the first days of the containing of the COVID-19 pandemic, dental activity throughout the world has been drastically interrupted and thereafter characterised by uncertainty and subject to revised measures. In order to obviate such challenges, the dentist has been obliged to adopt a series of protective measures, all of which are having a marked financial impact on finances and a lengthening of treatment times. This is the sum of time required for operating, and pre- and post-operating procedures, currently leading to generic economic loss, and leading to much uncertainty regarding future of the profession. Methods: The economic analysis is articulated in three approaches It assesses a reduction in markup by maintaining current charges (A); alternatively, it suggests revised charges to adopt in order to maintain unvaried levels of markup (B). Conclusions: The authors of this paper provide managerial insights which can assist the dentist-entrepreneur to become aware of the boundaries of the economic consequences of governmental measures in containing the virus infection
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
