An Evaluation of Orthodontic Practice Management Software: Maximizing the Return on the Investment of the Orthodontist

Practice management software is a computer program that integrates and organizes the administrative and clinical areas of practice. It is expected that by using this software, practices will become better managed and as a result, more profitable. However, a number of unfortunate shortcomings of such software prevent it from truly maximizing its potential. Assessing the levels of satisfaction associated with the use of practice management software has become a subject of some debate in recent years. Research exploring the features and components of practice management software has already been conducted for general dentistry. Still, research is lacking on the degree of satisfaction with the different types of orthodontic practice management software. Thus, the principal focus of this research is to compare the different types of orthodontic practice management software available to orthodontists. The levels of importance and satisfaction of features for various orthodontic software programs currently available were assessed by using a questionnaire. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences (p < .05) amongst the different software programs.