Watson Michael
Prim Dent Care. 2012 Jul;19(3):117-22. doi: 10.1308/135576112802092242.
During the last 20 years, there has been considerable growth in the number of dental practices owned by corporate bodies. At present, well over 800 practices are owned by such bodies and they employ over 3000 dentists. This paper describes the factors that have led to this growth and explores the advantages and disadvantages of 'corporate' dentistry for patients, dentists, and the dental team. It then considers how and why dental practice may change over the next 20 years and concludes that by 2032 the small one-dentist practice may well be in the past. It is likely that smaller practices will have to work in some form of association if they are to survive. Although their current model is unstable, corporates are likely to adapt to a changing environment. By 2032, in some cases, dentistry may well be taken out of its conventional setting, into supermarkets or a school environment.
在过去20年里，公司机构所拥有的牙科诊所数量有了显著增长。目前，此类机构拥有超过800家诊所，雇佣了3000多名牙医。本文描述了导致这种增长的因素，并探讨了“公司化”牙科对患者、牙医和牙科团队的利弊。然后，本文思考了未来20年牙科诊所可能如何以及为何发生变化，并得出结论：到2032年，单人牙医小诊所很可能成为过去式。如果小诊所想要生存下去，可能不得不以某种联合形式开展业务。尽管公司目前的模式不稳定，但它们可能会适应不断变化的环境。到2032年，在某些情况下，牙科很可能会脱离传统环境，进入超市或学校环境。
