Application of PERT/CPM in dental practice / 대한치과보철학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Process management is the activity which manages all procedure of construction by representing visually interrelation of operation or sequence setting. The purpose of this study was for reducing treatment period and higher efficiency of treatment through application of PERT/CPM (Program Evaluation & Review Technique/Critical Path Method) in dental clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients were selected for study who needed more than 2 departments' cooperation for prosthodontic treatment in Wonkwang Dental University Hospital. Control group is composed of the patient's whole treatment plan, treatment period, numbers of hospital visit, treatment costs, treatment results. On the other hand, experiment group contains the patient's virtual treatment data based on PERT/CPM technique. We applied PERT/CPM in operation analysis. RESULTS: Treatment period, numbers of hospital visit was decreased as 18.1% and 15.3% when we applied operation analysis based on charts. Also treatment cost in experiment group was 0.9% economized compared with control group's treatment cost. CONCLUSION: Application of PERT/CPM in dental clinic can achieve reliable treatment and reduced treatment period and establish plan of minimum treatment cost.